Westinghouse Electric Company and Ukrainian state nuclear energy generating company Energoatom on Tuesday signed an agreement to "significantly increase fuel deliveries to Ukrainian nuclear power plants through 2020," Westinghouse said.

"This increased cooperation between Westinghouse and Energoatom will bring diversification and security of nuclear fuel supplies for Ukraine's reactor fleet," Westinghouse said in a statement.

"This most recent agreement with Energoatom provides for the continuation of the long-standing partnership between our two companies in providing competitive and secure nuclear fuel supplies for Ukraine's reactor fleet. We expect that with continued superior results and competitive efficiency of our fuel design, Westinghouse will continue to grow its share of the Ukrainian nuclear fuel market," the statement quoted Yves Brachet, Westinghouse president for Europe, Middle East and Africa, as saying.

"Westinghouse looks forward to providing a full range of products and services to Ukraine and the global VVER market with proven experience in digital controls, fuel, refueling, inspection services and plant upgrades and refurbishments," Brachet said.

Earlier on Tuesday, before the agreement was signed, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk had hailed it as one more move to diversify Ukraine's sources of energy imports.

In mid-December, Energoatom President Yuriy Nedashkovsky said the Ukrainian company was considering increasing the use of nuclear fuel at 13 Ukrainian nuclear generating units.

He said that, if the planned use of TBC-WR fuel in Generating Unit Three of the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant, where it would be loaded early in 2015, proved successful, its test use in Generating Unit Five of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant would be increased.

Nedashkovsky advocated the selection of fuel suppliers through tendering.

Energoatom began to examine Westinghouse fuel in 2000 in a bid to diversify Ukraine's sources of nuclear fuel.

In March 2008, Energoatom signed a contract with Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB to provide fresh nuclear fuel in 2011-2015 for three and six Ukrainian nuclear generating units fitted with VVER-1000 reactors.

Currently, Westinghouse fuel is used only at the South Ukraine plant but a proposal is under consideration to use it at the Zaporizhia plant as well.

The main supplier of nuclear fuel for Ukraine's nuclear power plants is Russian company TVEL.

Energoatom manages all four Ukrainian nuclear power plants that remain in operation and comprise 15 generating units equipped with water-to-water reactors with a total installed generating capacity of 13.84 gigawatts.