Construction of the interim storage facility started in Ukraine

Energoatom National Nuclear Energy Generating Company and Holtec (USA) have started construction of a central interim storage facility (CISF) in the Chernobyl zone, - Interfax-Ukraine reports.

"The construction project of CISF, combined with the diversification of fresh fuel supplies, is Ukraine's outpost against the hybrid war", - Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Kistion said during the ceremony of construction's beginning.

He recalled that in the history of Ukraine, there was a precedent when Russia refused to take spent fuel from Ukraine for interim storage for about three years. At that time, it put the work of the nuclear power complex in a crisis situation.

In turn, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch noted that the USA supports the construction project of CISF in every possible way and recalled that OPIC provides a $250 million guarantee for construction of this facility.

"CISF is a strategic facility for Ukraine. It will reduce dependence on Russia and save billions of dollars", - she said.

Yovanovitch stressed that according to her information, Ukraine has spent about $2 billion to export nuclear waste to the Russian Federation for interim storage from the initiation of CISF project (2005) and until today.

The Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine Ihor Nasalyk noted that Ukraine would be able to reduce its costs by 2.5 times by means of construction of the storage facility.