Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada has passed a bill authorizing the purchase of equipment necessary for the construction of Units 3 and 4 at the Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Plant. This was announced by MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak (the Holos parliamentary faction).

During its Tuesday session, the parliament voted in favor of bill No. 11392.

According to Zhelezniak's Telegram post, the measure was supported by 261 MPs, including 190 votes from the Servant of the People faction. Additional support came from Batkivschyna (15 votes), Platform for Life and Peace (16 votes), For the Future (9 votes), Trust (14 votes), Restoration of Ukraine (12 votes), and five independent MPs.

MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak clarified that 269 deputies voted in favor. He emphasized that this authorization pertains only to the purchase and does not signal the start of construction.

MP Andriy Zhupanin, commenting on the decision via Facebook, noted that Ukraine managed to finalize the agreement with Bulgaria before the Bulgarian parliament's authorization expired on March 11.

He highlighted that the law exclusively permits reactor purchases, limiting the project's current cost to $600 million.

"The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers will prepare a new bill on the completion of Khmelnytsky NPP, which must include updated feasibility studies and information on project funding sources," Zhupanin said.

In a brief interview with Interfax-Ukraine on February 4, Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko mentioned that the updated bill, which would launch the construction of the two units, had resolved previous objections from lawmakers. He emphasized that the fate of 2 GW of generation now lies in parliamentary hands.

Haluschenko expressed doubts that Bulgaria would extend Ukraine's permission to purchase the reactor units, which expires on March 11, citing Bulgaria's current "pro-Russian sentiment" within the coalition. He added that numerous manipulations had recently surfaced regarding the law.

Previously, the minister stated that Ukraine had already invested approximately $2.5 billion in units 3 and 4 of Khmelnytsky NPP in the mid-1990s. Purchasing two Soviet-design VVER-1000 reactor vessels, initially intended for Bulgaria's Belene NPP, would require at least EUR 600 million. The purchase will be financed through loans.

Bill No. 11392, authored by the head of the energy committee Andriy Gerus, initially proposed changes to the electricity market. However, the committee annulled all second-reading amendments and replaced the text with provisions concerning Khmelnytsky NPP units 3 and 4 during an emergency meeting on January 14. The bill was not reviewed during the last January session.

According to Cabinet Directive No. 579-r dated July 26, 2018, the feasibility study for the construction of units 3 and 4 at Khmelnytsky NPP set the total estimated cost at UAH 72.34 billion as of May 5, 2017, including construction, equipment, furniture, inventory, and other expenses. The initial nuclear fuel load was estimated at UAH 4.47 billion.

Government bill No. 11146 from April 3, 2024, regarding the completion of Khmelnytsky NPP units 3 and 4, was repeatedly removed from parliamentary consideration due to a lack of votes. One of the key objections was the use of Rosatom equipment, given its association with the aggressor state, quality concerns, and outdated technology. Without legal authorization, construction cannot proceed.