There has been no progress in the construction of Khmelnytskyi NPP units 5 and 6 so far, but we will be ready to build them quickly after the war – Westinghouse top manager Dan Lipman

Exclusive interview with Dan Lipman, President of the Westinghouse Energy Systems business unit

The text by Nina Yavorska, Oleg Kilnytskyi

What is currently happening with the construction of units 5 and 6 of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant, which are to be the first in Ukraine built using Westinghouse AP1000 technology?

First of all, I would like to say that it means a lot to me to be able to help Ukraine and support this project, because my grandmother is from Ukraine.

As for the project at the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant, it is currently in the active planning phase.

Unfortunately, there has been no construction progress as such, because the war is ongoing and the company is unable to send its employees to Ukraine.
But as soon as the war is over, we will start doing so, and I can assure you that I will be the first Westinghouse representative to come to Ukraine.

So, is the probability that Ukraine will become the first country in Europe to have an AP1000 unit low because of the war? You probably know that our Ministry of Energy previously announced such ambitious plans.

This isn’t the Olympics or a race! As soon as the war is over, we will do everything we can to deliver the power units to Ukraine.

Poland and Bulgaria are also moving quickly, and they don’t face the same challenges that Ukraine faces today. Therefore, their situation is different.

Building new units at the Khmelnytskyi NPP is a very complex task that requires significant preparation. We are currently working with Energoatom to determine what steps are necessary at the beginning of the project so that it can then move forward effectively.

Our work is currently focused on three areas.

First, we are working with Energoatom to provide a