Advantage of Westinghouse AP1000 reactor for Ukraine is its ability to operate without electricity for 72 hours – executive

One of the advantages of Westinghouse’s AP1000 nuclear reactor technology for Ukraine is its ability to operate without main and backup power supplies for 72 hours in the event of a power outage, according to Joel Eacker, Senior Vice President of APX Projects EMEA at Westinghouse.

"One of the advantages of the AP1000’s passive safety system is that the loss of external power caused by attacks on the infrastructure supplying it has only a minimal impact on reactor operations for a fairly long period of time. I mean the ability to operate without external power, both primary and backup, for 72 hours," Eacker said in an interview with the Energy Reform project by Interfax-Ukraine.

He added that the system minimizes the need for personnel intervention in such a situation in order to ensure the reactor’s continued operation.

"The reactor stops generating electricity but switches into a self-protection mode, and yes, it can remain in that state for 72 hours without diesel generators," Eacker explained.

He also said that the reactor is highly flexible in terms of power output depending on grid demand.

"It has quite a wide range – from 15% to 100% capacity," the Westinghouse executive said.

As reported, in the same interview Joel Eacker said that Westinghouse has a fully completed documentation package for the construction of the AP1000 reactor and expects to complete its full adaptation for the European market by 2028, which will accelerate its development in Ukraine when the time comes.

Eacker also noted that the company has already worked through roughly half of the so-called lessons learned from projects in the United States and China.

According to Eacker, the company will most likely begin developing its nuclear fleet in Ukraine with Unit 5 of the Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Plant, for which it has already helped National Nuclear Energy Generating Company Energoatom prepare a feasibility study.

At the same time, he described the memorandum on the construction of nine AP1000 reactors in Ukraine as "a fairly substantial commitment."