Ukraine's parliament has voted to approve the purchase of two Russian-made nuclear reactors from Bulgaria for the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak announced on February 11.
This was reported by The Kyiv Independent.
President Volodymyr Zelensky had urged lawmakers to back the project, calling it "key to energy independence."
Bulgaria has offered to sell its unused 15-year-old VVER-1000 reactors, along with other equipment intended for units 3 and 4 of the Khmelnytskyi plant. The deal comes as Ukraine grapples with ongoing Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure.
Some lawmakers have opposed the purchase, arguing that the reactors are obsolete and overpriced. Parliament has struggled to pass the law, prompting Bulgaria to extend the deadline for finalizing the deal until March.
The price for the two reactors has been set at $600 million, according to lawmaker Andrii Zhupanyn.
Nuclear power is a cornerstone of Ukraine’s energy grid, supplying more than half of the country’s electricity. Russian missile and drone strikes have severely damaged Ukraine’s thermal and hydroelectric power stations, causing frequent emergency shutdowns.
The Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant—one of Ukraine’s three remaining operational nuclear facilities—is undergoing expansion to compensate for the loss of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which remains under Russian occupation.
Political Fallout and Corruption Allegations
The approval of the deal comes at a time when Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko, a key advocate for the reactor purchase, is facing growing political pressure. Opposition lawmakers have accused Halushchenko of corruption in the energy sector, failure to protect critical infrastructure, and misleading the public.
Calls for his dismissal are intensifying, adding further controversy to the already contentious reactor deal.
