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Ukraine to allocate $25 million in 2015 to store spent nuclear fuel

The storage’s start-up facility is to begin operation in late 2017

KIEV, July 21 /TASS/. Ukraine will allocate 556 million hryvnias ($25 million) in 2015 to implement a project for the construction of a centralized spent nuclear fuel storage facility, Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy and Coal Mining Industry told TASS on Monday.

A national commission which carries out state regulation in energy and utilities sector is to make the final decision.

Ukraine’s Energoatom Company and US Holtec International struck an additional agreement to a contract for the construction of a centralized facility for storing spent nuclear fuel in Brussels (Belgium) on January 26. Energoatom will design and build the future facility. The US corporation will deliver special equipment for dry storage of spent nuclear fuel and its transportation. It will also provide the necessary technologies.

Deliveries of equipment on the contract should be carried out before the end of 2020. The storage’s start-up facility is to begin operation in late 2017. It will receive spent nuclear fuel from the Khmelnitskaya, Rovenskaya and Yuzhno-Ukrainskaya nuclear power plants (NPP). The project will cost about $27 million in 2015; $40 million in 2016 and $10 million in 2017.

The Zaporozhskaya nuclear power plant has its own storage facility for spent nuclear fuel.