KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine expects to start construction work on four new nuclear power reactors this summer or autumn, Energy Minister German Galushchenko told Reuters on Thursday, as the country seeks to compensate for lost energy capacity due to the war with Russia.
Two of the units - which include reactors and related equipment - will be based on Russian-made equipment that Ukraine wants to import from Bulgaria, while the other two will use Western technology from power equipment maker Westinghouse.
All four reactors will be built at the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant in the west of Ukraine, Galushchenko added.
~10 years IIRC, however maybe they figure that by the time they are up and running that the war will be over and they can gain more indepandance from relying on other countries that may stab them in the front?
But you are right its a costly undertaking while they are also actively asking for aid in a war.
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Here’s an interesting article I found on nuclear vs solar
https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2021/08/05/youve-got-30-billion-to-spend-and-a-climate-crisis-nuclear-or-solar/
yes, I’m sure pv-magazine-usa.com is going to give a completely unbiased take on nuclear v solar …
If there’s anything you find inaccurate in the article, let’s hear it.
Not OP. Only using the cited article, it says the NPP will last 40-80 years and maintenance will be expensive after 40 years but gives no figures, then says solar would last 50 years and be cheaper to maintain but again gives no figures. These statements may be true but without figures this is nothing more than an oversimplified opinion piece. We’re not going to have a productive discussion with opinion pieces.
It also only includes 16 hours of storage in its calculations, maybe cloudy days arent a thing in Georgia.
it also mentions land rents to owners as a benefit, but doesnt list them as a cost in running solar (or the cost of buying 27000 acres upfront)
Ukraine has experience with nuclear (55% of their current electricity production is from nuclear), they have the largest uranium reserve of Europe and their peak of electricity consumption is in December, when solar production is only 1/5th of summer production.
So for me it make complete sense to build nuclear power stations in Ukraine.
deleted by creator
I kinda feel like the political uncertainty may not really factor in. Politically, it’s possible that they may not exist once these are completed, but if they don’t there isn’t anyone in the government left to care.