Unit 2 at Ukraine’s South Ukraine nuclear power plant was fully loaded with Westinghouse fuel assemblies on 28 June, nuclear utility Energoatom has announced.
The 163 modified fuel assemblies (TVS-WR) were loaded into the core of the unit during scheduled preventive repairs. Energoatom said three units are now using the new fuel.
South Ukraine 3 was fully loaded with Westinghouse fuel in July 2018, and Zaporozhye 5 in December 2019.
Aleksey Arvaninov, Deputy Chief Engineer for Nuclear and Radiation Safety at South Ukraine noted: “The full loading of the core of the second power unit of the South Ukrainian NPP means that the fuel design and its operational characteristics have proved their reliability.”
The nuclear fuel qualification project in the country was launched in 2000 after an agreement was signed between the US and Ukrainian governments. The project began with the operation of six experimental assemblies at the third power unit of the South Ukrainian NPP, and in 2008 a commercial contract was signed with Westinghouse. After problems developed with the fuel, it was structurally modified and modernised.
Westinghouse also supplies nuclear fuel for Temelin in the Czech Republic.
Photo: South Ukraine nuclear power plant (Photo: Energoatom)
