A new nuclear facility has been approved in Mykolaiv Oblast: Ukraine will begin producing fuel for nuclear power plants

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine 25 March 2026 adopted order No.274-r, which approved the proposal of the Ministry of Energy regarding the placement, design and construction in Pivdennoukrainsk of a nuclear facility for the production of fuel assemblies for nuclear power plant reactors. The government also recommended that JSC “NNEGC “Energoatom” as the operator of the facility ensure further design and construction of the complex.

For the Mykolaiv region this decision was not sudden: the project had previously passed the local approval stage. The website of the Pivdennoukrainsk City Council records that public hearings on the new construction took place on 4 April 2024 with the participation of 113 members of the public, and those present supported proceeding with the planned activity. Later, in September 2025, the city council approved the placement of the complex; according to reports on the session’s proceedings, the decision was supported by 21 deputies.

This concerns a technological complex where it is planned to produce nuclear fuel for reactors of the VVER-1000 type operating at Ukrainian NPPs. Approximately 7 hectares of land have been allocated for the new production site, and the project envisages the implementation of Westinghouse technology.

The production process itself, according to available materials, primarily involves the mechanical assembly of nuclear fuel from ready-made components, some of which “Energoatom” already manufactures at its own facilities. At the same time, the American company previously assessed the Ukrainian side’s production lines for the possibility of assembling fuel assemblies. Separately, an environmental impact assessment was carried out for the project and a feasibility study was prepared, and this documentation, according to the company, has already passed the state review.

In “Energoatom” they call this decision strategic for the country’s energy independence, since it concerns a further transition to domestic fuel using Westinghouse technology and a reduction in dependence on imported fuel components. But formally the construction has not yet entered the stage of a completed project: the development of full project documentation and the passage of a comprehensive state examination lie ahead.

In effect, Pivdennoukrainsk gains a chance to become one of the key hubs of Ukraine’s new fuel infrastructure. For the region this means not only potential new production but also strengthening the role of the Mykolaiv region in the country’s nuclear energy sector amid the war and Russia’s ongoing pressure on the power system. However, the ultimate safety and practical implementation of this plan still need to be confirmed by subsequent stages of state oversight. This is the conclusion based on the government’s decisions already made, community support, and the described technical parameters of the project.

Previously we wrote:

• While the country is at war — officials stealing? Abuses of UAH 1.1 million exposed at an NPP
• Pivdennoukrainsk NPP was forced to reduce power — IAEA warns of new risks
• Due to shelling, Pivdennoukrainsk NPP lost access to one of its transmission lines
• Nuclear safety under threat: a Russian drone exploded 800 meters from Pivdennoukrainsk NPP
• A PAES employee inflicted over 5 million in damages on the state: the case has been sent to court