Head of the Westinghouse reactor business: almost every country realizes that decarbonization is not possible without nuclear energy

The exclusive interview with David Durham, President, Energy Systems, Westinghouse Electric Company, to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency

Ukraine intends to build three new nuclear power plants by 2032 using AP1000 [pressurized water reactor – PWR], potentially bringing the number of PWRs to nine. Have locations been identified for these new facilities?

Yes, for the first one or two units, the Khmeltnytsky site has been identified. And we actually signed two contracts for the first unit to enable us to start working on this unit.

What additional regulatory or technical work needs to be done before starting the project?

We have done some regulatory work supporting Energoatom. It is licensing work to provide forlicense changes for that site. And I believe those regulatory activities are ongoing with Ukraine’s nuclear regulator. Once the regulatory work is completed, we will then undertake site specific design work that would allow the project to move forward.

A question about financing… Ukraine’s Energy Ministry estimates the cost of building one PWR at $5 billion. Do you anticipate drawing in any external financing for the project with Energoatom? Will U.S. Exim Bank, or other lenders provide financing mechanisms?

We did not participate in developing an estimate yet for the cost of a unit in Ukraine. We're not a Ukrainian construction company. And so that's a big part of the cost. However, that number you cited is not inconsistent with a study that was done last year by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the expected cost of an AP1000 [PWR] in the future in the United States, so it's roughly consistent. To the second part of the question, yes, we clearly anticipate supporting Energoatom in developing