Nuclear Heart: How Ukraine Inherited and Managed Its Energy Legacy

Nuclear energy became the key element of Ukraine's energy independence after Kyiv gaining independence in August 1991, inheriting a powerful infrastructure of five nuclear power plants. However, the challenges of modernization, dependence on Russian fuel, and the consequences of war are forcing the country to seek new ways to develop this strategic sector.

When Ukraine declared its independence in 1991, nuclear energy had long been an important pillar of the country's energy system. The country inherited five large nuclear power plants: Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, Pivdennoukrainsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Chernobyl, which ceased operations in 2000.

In 1996, the National Nuclear Operator, Energoatom, was established under the Ministry of Fuel and Energy, which took control of the entire civilian nuclear sector. In other words, before Russia's aggression in 2022, Ukraine had 15 power units with a total capacity of almost 14,000 megawatts, which provided almost 50% of the country's total electricity generation.

However, along with its great technical potential, Ukraine faced certain challenges. Most of the reactors were built in the 1970s and 1980s, so the equipment continued to wear out. For example, emergency protection and cooling systems, as well as filtration and ventilation units, needed to be modernized. That is why in the 2000s, Energoatom focused its efforts on extending the operating life of the two main types of Soviet power units, VVER-440 and VVER-1000, until the 2030s and 2040s. Thanks to this, the foundation of the nuclear energy industry was preserved, allowing Ukraine to continue using it.

Another major challenge was dependence on Russian nuclear fuel. The first steps to reduce this dependence were taken back in the 1990s thanks to contracts with Westinghouse. This significantly reduced the share of Russian nuclear fuel and paved the way for the certification of reactors according to Western standards. 

In addition, a strategically important decision was made to complete the unfinished units: one each at the Zaporizhzhia, Rivne, and Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plants. This gave Ukraine about 3,000 megawatts of electricity, which ultimately increased its capacity to 14,000 megawatts.

Unfortunately, in the 1990s, a number of projects that had been developed and launched during the Soviet period were curtailed: the Chyhyryn, Odesa, Kharkiv, and some other nuclear power plants were not built due to a lack of funding and moratoriums on new construction imposed after the Chernobyl accident. However, Ukraine can return to these plans at any time if it creates a favorable environment for investment and enlists the international assistance of its partners.

Nuclear Energy — the damaged “Heart” of Ukraine During the War

The full-scale Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, threatened Ukraine's entire energy sector and, accordingly, all businesses, households, and the entire economy. According to Human Rights Watch, systematic shelling has damaged more than 40% of the energy infrastructure: thermal power plants, gas turbine units, power lines, and substations. Under these conditions, nuclear power plants, designed for continuous operation, became a key source of electricity, saving Ukraine.

Before the war, nuclear power accounted for almost 50% of the country's total energy production. According to the Atlantic Council, during the war, it reached 70% of the daily balance. Nuclear power plants provided a stable power supply when most thermal power plants were out of service.

It was thanks to nuclear energy that it was possible to avoid constant large-scale blackouts not only in households but also in critical facilities: factories, hospitals, and government institutions. Thus, strategic enterprises, including the defense-industrial complex, heavy and light industry, and the IT sector, were able to function almost without interruption. And this, according to the International Energy Agency, was despite the loss of 6,000 megawatts, or almost half of Ukraine's capacity, due to the occupation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP by the Russian aggressor.

Against the backdrop of the energy crisis, ordinary Ukrainians, small businesses, and large enterprises began to use mobile diesel generators, but without powerful nuclear power plants, these measures would have been ineffective. It is the “heart” of Ukrainian energy in the form of nuclear reactors that has prevented the fragmentation of the energy system into small decentralized networks that are difficult to manage and vulnerable to changes in fuel prices.

What Can Peaceful Nuclear Energy Offer Ukraine?

Peaceful nuclear energy offers Ukraine much more than just restoring its ability to provide itself with energy: its potential can become the foundation for post-war reconstruction, industrial, economic, and even “green” growth. Nuclear power plant reactors provide energy that is approximately 2-3 times cheaper than thermal power plants, which significantly reduces production costs and household expenses. 

Given Ukraine's partially destroyed thermal power plant capacity and rising energy prices, peaceful nuclear energy will indeed become a pillar for the emergence of industrial enterprises in the fields of metallurgy, machine building, defense industry, as well as IT and data centers, and cryptocurrency mining farms.

The development of nuclear energy opens up prospects for Ukraine to become a regional leader in the provision of nuclear energy services. Training specialists, providing security monitoring services, servicing reactors in neighboring countries, and even joint projects to build new power units abroad create export potential that can bring in significant foreign currency revenues.

In addition, large-scale projects to build power units and related infrastructure will create thousands of jobs and generate demand for new engineering personnel in the nuclear energy sector. Each reactor construction project will generate a chain of contracts at both the local and national levels — from the manufacture of metal structures to the development of software for control systems. A new impetus could be given to university-based research centers, such as the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute or the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, which will attract young people and funds for training specialists.

Nuclear energy can also help Ukraine accelerate European integration and attract foreign aid. Low-carbon electricity production at nuclear power plants contributes to compliance with the European Green Deal's greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and increases the country's attractiveness for green financial instruments. For example, the EBRD and EIB are ready to provide loans and financial support for the modernization of nuclear facilities, as nuclear power generation is seen as a key element of decarbonization and renewable energy policy. 

This can also be combined with the development of solar and wind energy in Ukraine. Such power plants work well during peak hours, but they need a “background” for stabilization. Nuclear reactors are ideal for this role, maintaining the base load of the grid with almost no interruptions.

How Can Ukraine Develop Nuclear Energy?

First of all, Ukraine should complete the projects it has already started: the construction of the third and fourth power units at the Khmelnitsky NPP is 75% and 25% complete, respectively, and their launch in 2026–2027 will add an additional 2,000 megawatts of capacity to the country without the need to build all the infrastructure from scratch, as the building structures and basic engineering systems are already in place.

International cooperation is critical for the rapid development of nuclear energy, and each partner can offer Ukraine its own unique opportunities. Among the world's powers, two leaders in nuclear energy stand out as potential partners for close cooperation: the United States and France.

The US could be a partner for Ukraine in the construction of new power units and the maintenance of both old and new reactors. Ukraine has plans to build nine power units in cooperation with the American company Westinghouse, among which the most realistic is the project of the fifth and sixth units at the Khmelnitsky NPP. At present, Westinghouse provides stable supplies of nuclear fuel for existing Soviet reactors.

France, on the other hand, can offer Ukraine a full cycle of nuclear services. In 2025, Ukraine agreed with Orano to enrich uranium for Ukrainian nuclear power plants, and among the prospects for further cooperation is the construction of joint uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing facilities in Ukraine, which will create a truly closed nuclear cycle on our territory and increase the country's energy independence. Working with France's EDF, we can gain experience in operating high-power reactors and study the concept of Nuward small modular reactors.

The next step should be the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs). The world leaders in this field — the American NuScale, the British Rolls-Royce SMR-160, the South Korean SMART, and Holtec SMR-300 — offer reactors with a capacity of 50 to 300 megawatts. Ukraine has already signed a number of agreements with these global manufacturers of small modular reactors. It is compact modules that will make it possible to install nuclear reactors in the regions that need them most, as well as on the basis of thermal power plants destroyed by Russia, near strategic enterprises or future technology parks.

Recently, Ukrenergo provided Energoatom with a list of 18 sites of old thermal power plants where modular reactors could be installed instead of obsolete thermal units. The most promising of these is the Trypilska Thermal Power Plant site. The placement of small reactors in these locations will not require the construction of new infrastructure, and existing communications, power nodes, and cooling systems will ensure the rapid launch of projects.

In addition, to increase its independence, Ukraine should develop its own uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing capabilities. Energoatom and France's Orano already have agreements on uranium enrichment for Ukrainian nuclear power plants, and Ukrainian uranium is reprocessed by American and European partner companies through Canada and returned to Ukraine as nuclear fuel. In other words, the development of its own enrichment, manufacturing, and spent fuel disposal cluster will ensure a closed nuclear fuel production cycle and minimize dependence on external suppliers.

Equally important, particularly in the context of Ukraine's accession to the EU, is the further deepening of technical and legal integration into the single European energy system ENTSO-E. Equipment certification and power line modernization within ENTSO-E will increase Ukraine's access to the European market and allow it to export surplus nuclear energy after the war. Ukrainian legislation in the field of nuclear energy should also continue to be harmonized with EU directives. Transparent licensing, clear procedures for conducting environmental assessments, and ensuring competitive access for investors will create a favorable climate for large international projects.

Bohdan Popov, Head of Digital at the United Ukraine Think Tank, communications specialist and public figure