Ukraine will build own centralized spent nuclear fuel storage facility and from 2017 the country would not remove spent nuclear fuel for temporary storage to Russia from 2017, Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Ihor Nasalyk has said.

"I want to thank the Verkhovna Rada that we have settled the issue of building the dry spent nuclear fuel storage facility that completely diversifies fuel disposal. Each year Ukraine pays $200 million to dispose spent nuclear fuel. Starting from 2017, we will not pay these funds, as we have own [facility]," he said in parliament last week.

The minister said that Ukraine will also diversify supplies of fresh nuclear fuel – Westinghouse fuel will be loaded to 40% of Ukrainian NPPs' reactors.

As reported, referring to Director General of Atomprojectengineering (a subdivision of National Nuclear Generating Company Energoatom) Oleksandr Rybchuk, The active phase of construction works on the site of the centralized spent nuclear fuel storage facility is scheduled to start in March 2017.

The communications department of Rosatom said that the corporation is working with Ukrainian partners using advance payments.