History of the Ukrainian AE

Nuclear energy in Ukraine dates back to 1977, when the first power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was put into operation. According to the plans for the development of nuclear energy in the former Soviet Union, 9 nuclear power plants were to be built on the territory of Ukraine. For the period from 1977 to 1989, it was planned to put into operation 16 power units with a total capacity of 14,800 MW at 5 nuclear power plants: Zaporizhzhya, Rivne, Khmelnytsky, Chernobyl, South-Ukrainian.

The growing need for electricity contributed to the rapid construction of nuclear power units: during the man-made accident at the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in April 1986, 10 power units were in operation in Ukraine, 8 of which with a capacity of 1000 MW (four V10-100). From 1986 to 1990, 6 more nuclear power units with a capacity of 1000 MW each were commissioned: three at the Zaporizhzhya NPP and one each at the South-Ukrainian, Rivne and Khmelnitsk NPPs. However, after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, in August 1990, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine announced a moratorium on the construction and commissioning of new nuclear power units, as a result of which the construction of new power units at the Khmelnytsky, Zaporizhzhya and Rivne nuclear power plants was suspended.

After the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine lifted the moratorium, questions arose related to the restoration and reconstruction of unfinished power units. The construction and commissioning were necessary primarily to compensate for the capacities of power units that have exhausted their resource, to replace units that do not meet modern safety requirements.

In December 1991, atomic energy enterprises were merged into the concern "Ukratomenergoprom", which in January 1993 was reorganized into the State Committee of Ukraine on the Use of Nuclear Energy - the State Committee of Ukraine.

In 1993, work was resumed at the 6th unit of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, the 4th unit of the Rivne NPP and the 2nd - Khmelnitskaya NPP.

In October 1995, the power start-up of the 6th unit of the Zaporizhzhya NPP took place. The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant with an installed capacity of 6 million kW has become the largest in Europe.

On October 17, 1996, by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 1268, the state enterprise “National Atomic Energy Generating Company“ Energoatom ”was established.

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant is the first Ukrainian nuclear power plant, the operation of which has been suspended until the end of its design life. Currently, three units of the station with RBMK-1000 reactors are at the stage of decommissioning, in particular, the 2nd power unit - since 1991 after a fire in the engine room, the 1st power unit - since 1996 by the decision of the Ukrainian Government, 3- th unit is stopped. late 2000.

By the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 399 dated April 25, 2001, the Chernobyl NPP was removed from the structure of NNEGC Energoatom. She was awarded the status of a state specialized enterprise.

After the closure of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, 4 nuclear power plants with VVER-type reactors remained in operation: Zaporizhzhya, Rovenskaya, Khmelnitskaya and Yuzhno-Ukrainskaya, which operate 15 nuclear power plants with a total installed capacity of 13,835 MW.