MOSCOW, August 3. /TASS/. Ukraine has transferred the money for the return of spent nuclear fuel from its nuclear power plants to Russia, a source in the Russian nuclear power corporation Rosatom has said.
"Ukraine has transferred an advance payment for the return of spent Russian nuclear fuel from its NPPs for recycling," the source said.
Asked about the price, the source said that it matched the world level. He added that similar services were being provided not only by Russian companies, but also by their European counterparts.
The first shipment to return Russia’s spent nuclear fuel from Ukraine is expected by the end of summer 2016, the source said.
"The first shipment (in the process of return of Russian spent nuclear fuel from Ukraine) will take place by the end of this summer," the source said.
In late May, Rosatom’s Director for Public Policy on Radioactive Waste, Spent Nuclear Fuel and Nuclear Decommissioning Oleg Kryukov said that Kiev had problems with payments on the contract with Rosatom, so "the first shipment (of spent fuel) was postponed." "We have a contract with Ukraine on storing spent nuclear fuel and its recycling. We are going to continue with the contract, although the Ukrainian side plans to build its own warehouse for spent fuel without recycling," he said.
Ukraine’s Energoatom National Nuclear Energy Generating Company told TASS previously that Ukraine was not paying for the spent fuel removal because the company’s accounts were arrested. In March 2016, the Energoatom accounts and property totaling 200 billion hryvnias ($8.065 billion) were arrested by the bailiff service, which factually blocked the financial and business operations of Ukraine’s largest generating company.
It became known in early July that Energoatom resumed payments to the Russian fuel company.