President of Ukraine`s national nuclear energy generating company Energoatom Yuriy Nedashkovsky says that full synchronization of the Ukrainian power grids with the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) will increase the capacity of Ukrainian power exports to the EU, up to 4 GW, according to Energoatom`s press service.
”Further full synchronization of the Ukrainian integrated power grids with ENTSO-E will increase Ukraine`s export capacities in the direction of the EU to 4 GW,” the press service quoted Nedashkovsky as saying.
He also noted that Energoatom`s project for the export of electricity to Europe – the Ukraine-EU Energy Bridge, which provides for rebuilding the 750 kV aerial transmission line between the Khmelnytsky nuclear power plant (KhNPP) and Rzeszow, Poland, will create the so-called `energy ring` linking Rzeszow, Khmelnytsky NPP and Albertirsa in Hungary.
”Thus, transit transmission between different regions of Europe – from Germany and Poland, through Ukraine, to Hungary, Romania, and the countries of the Balkan region – will be 1.3 GW of electric power,” he added.
In his words, the potential of Ukraine`s electricity exports to Europe will increase to 1.55 GW with possible growth to 2.55 GW when KhNPP`s second unit is connected to the Burshtynska energy `island` (the area of Burshtynska thermal power plant, which is now not linked to Ukraine`s power grids).
Commenting on Energoatom`s export price of electricity, Nedashkovsky said it would be significantly higher than the rates the company sells electricity on the Ukrainian market at.
Earlier, on March 2, Nedashkovsky announced Energoatom`s plans to start exporting electricity generated by the second KhNPP unit to the energy system of the EU countries, in particular, Poland and Hungary, as part of the Ukraine-EU Energy Bridge project. After power exports to the EU begin, Energoatom will be able to use an export mechanism as collateral to obtain a loan from European banks to complete the third and fourth power units at KhNPP, he said.
The company also plans to accelerate the construction of new transformers at the site of the third KhNPP unit to ensure the safe operation of the plant. The cost of implementing the electricity export project is EUR 55 million.
At the end of March, Ukraine`s National Commission for state regulation in energy and utilities increased the electricity supply tariff for Energoatom by 3%, to 48 kopecks/kWh, starting from April 1, 2017.
Memo. Energoatom is Ukraine`s largest electricity producer, accounting for about 55% of the country`s overall power output. Energoatom is responsible for the safe operation of the country`s nuclear power plants.
