Chyhyryn NPP is unique chance for Ukraine to get cheap electricity, - expert
The Chyhyryn NPP site offers a number of advantages—ranging from its location nearly in the center of Ukraine and access to a powerful cooling source to the ability to transport large-scale equipment by water.
Yuriy Malakhov, an advisor to the chairman of the board of JSC "Kyiv Scientific Research and Design Institute 'EnergoProekt,'" writes about this in his column on Censor.NET.
Advantages of the Chyhyryn Nuclear Power Plant
The first factor is the site's geographic location.
"It is located almost in the center of the country, roughly equidistant from administrative and industrial cities such as Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, and Zhytomyr. This provides a unique opportunity to supply these cities and industrial regions with low-cost electricity. According to Ukrenergo, the total load on the central power hub was about 5,000 MW, while local generation provided only 1,820 MW. Thus, the deficit in the central region alone—excluding cities such as Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih—amounts to 3,180 MW," Malakhov explained.
A second advantage is the virtually unlimited water resources available to supply the cooling systems of nuclear power plants.
"The nuclear power plant site is located near the Kremenchuk Reservoir, which is the largest in Ukraine, with an area of 2,250 km² and a water volume of 13.5 km³. Studies of water level fluctuations in this reservoir show that they are practically independent of climatic variations. We witnessed the importance of a reliable source of water for NPP cooling systems this hot summer. For example, Romania completely shut down its only NPP, "Cernavoda," creating a 20% shortfall and forcing the country to urgently increase electricity imports. Hungary, which operates the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, completely shut down 3 of its 4 active power units. At the sole operating power unit, capacity was limited to 50%. These consequences were caused by climatic fluctuations and the virtual absence of reservoirs on the Danube River," the expert noted.
In addition, the Chyhyryn NPP site offers the best logistical capabilities. Unlike other sites, which rely on road and rail transport to deliver equipment, large-scale equipment and structures can be delivered to this site by water.
"In addition to these significant advantages, it is worth noting the potential for further development of this site through expansion. Another key factor is that the 1,000 MW Kaniv Pumped-Storage Power Plant is under construction just 100 km from the Chyhyryn NPP site, which is crucial for offsetting system-wide power fluctuations."
"Thus, the potential of the Chyhyryn NPP site is unique not only for Ukraine but for almost all of Eastern Europe. Given these opportunities, it is very important not to make a mistake," he concluded.
What is known about the Chyhyryn Nuclear Power Plant?
Construction of the power plant and the workers' village began in the 1970s. Construction was halted in 1989 due to widespread public protests following the Chornobyl disaster.
