As indicated in the Bloomberg material, the total value of the announced projects for the construction of nuclear power plants is estimated at approximately 130 billion euros.
Currently, the only new nuclear power plants under construction in the European Union are one unit in Slovakia (Mohovce NPP) and two units in Hungary (Paks NPP), but there are many more planned. Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia want to build new power units, the agency reports in its analytical material.
The problem with these plans is the lack of confirmed funding sources.
Eastern European countries expect the European Union to support nuclear projects as part of its 2028–2034 budget cycle, and are therefore in no rush to make investment decisions.
State subsidies are almost certain to be approved by the European Union, but their scale is frightening. “In Poland, for example, coal has long dominated electricity production. Nuclear power plants will be built for the first time in the country. The government is negotiating how to finance Westinghouse Electric Co.'s reactors. for its first headquarters, which could cost more than USD 30 billion – an amount equal to the nation's entire 2023 defense budget, or 3.9% of gross domestic product.
Earlier it was reported that Ukraine plans to simultaneously build 11 large nuclear power units: nine using AR1000 technology and two using VVER-100 technology. The first two American power units will be built at the site of the Khmelnytsky NPP, one at the Rivne NPP and two at the South Ukrainian NPP. An option to build a new Chigirin NPP is also being considered.
The construction of the power units of the HAPP has repeatedly been subjected to sharp criticism by the expert community. The director of the Center for Energy Research, Alexander Kharchenko, said that the money allocated for the completion of the power units of the National Nuclear Power Plant will be “buried just like that, hopelessly”. According to Kharchenko, the current crisis situation requires tactical actions in a horizon of 2 to a maximum of 3 years. But the question of whether new nuclear blocks will appear in 10 or 15 years is not important, and in general in 5 years it may become irrelevant. “I am a realist, I understand that it is impossible to build a nuclear unit faster than 12 years, even under the best conditions. Technically, procedurally and bureaucratically it is impossible”, said the expert.
Nikolai Steinberg, the former chief engineer of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant after the accident and former head of the State Nuclear Safety Committee and deputy minister of energy, said today's attempts to resume construction of power units are mostly “chatter and self-confidence&rdquo ;. According to him, the readiness of the sites for the construction of blocks #3 and #4 is actually no more than 25%. “The next challenge seems to be to unlock funding and build schemes. “Schemes, not blocks,”, described the idea of completion Steinberg.
Lana Zerkal, former adviser to the Minister of Energy, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, called the idea of completing the power units a “fairy tale”. “I am told that Energoatom has more global projects - to complete nuclear power units. Yeah, I'm already confused about how many atomic blocks they build at once.
On June 17, 2024, the Committee on Energy, Housing and Communal Services of the Verkhovna Rada approved a bill for the construction of power units No. 3 and No. 4 of the Khmelnytsky NPP.