Ukraine has received permission from U.S.-based Westinghouse to use nuclear fuel technology in the construction of a plant, Ukraine's Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Ihor Nasalyk has said during "an hour of questions to the government" in the Verkhovna Rada.

Today, only Westinghouse and Russia's TVEL own the technology for production of fuel for VVER-type reactors with which Ukrainian nuclear power plants are equipped.

Thus, in three years, the plant could be built, the minister said.

"That is, only uranium enrichment will be carried out outside Ukraine, as we cannot do this because we have lost the status of a nuclear state," the minister said.

Before the annexation of Crimea by Russia, Ukraine planned to build a plant for nuclear fuel production based on the technology of the Russian fuel company TVEL in Kirovohrad region. PrJSC Nuclear Fuel Plant was created, in which the Ukrainian state concern Nuclear Fuel owns 50% plus one share, while TVEL holds a 50% minus one share stake.