Ukraine, US to partner on developing small modular nuclear reactors for reconstruction

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The United States will partner with Ukraine to transition Ukraine’s coal-fired plants to small modular nuclear reactors, and to use them to help decarbonize its steel industry, the countries announced on Nov. 16 at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Small modular reactors (SMR) are an emerging technology that allow for reactors to be transported and assembled on site.

The partnership will build a roadmap and provide technical support to “rebuild, modernize, and decarbonize Ukraine’s steel industry with SMRs,” according to a statement from the U.S. State Department.

It will also “facilitate the transition of Ukraine’s coal-fired power plants to secure and safe SMR nuclear power plants utilizing existing infrastructure and retraining the workforce,” the statement read.

Another project announced at the conference, known as COP29, will build a pilot plant in Ukraine to demonstrate production of clean hydrogen and ammonia using simulated SMR technology.

Ukraine is expected to face a brutal energy crisis through its toughest winter since the start of the full-scale invasion after Russia took out capacity from half of its electricity generation sector in large-scale air strikes.

The infographic showcases the countries with the top percentage share of nuclear energy production. (Lisa Kukharska / The Kyiv Independent)

As Ukraine hurries to rebuild its devastated energy structure, many foreign partners are looking for ways to encourage greener and more sustainable energy solutions. Wind and solar projects are in high demand, although many of Ukraine’s infrastructure projects are emergency solutions rather than part of a broader green strategy.

Following the occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in 2022, the three nuclear plants remaining under government control provide around 60% of its power. However, Russia is eyeing attacks on Ukraine’s nuclear infrastructure, the Energy Ministry’s press office told the Kyiv Independent last month.

The energy-intensive steel industry produced a tenth of Ukraine’s pre-war GDP, but last year’s production was less than a third of Ukraine’s total 2021 steel production.

Energy blackouts are a major factor in the drop in production, alongside worker shortages, high electricity prices, and disrupted supply chains as a result of the full-scale invasion.