Parliament approves controversial purchase of Russian nuclear reactors from Bulgaria

Ukraine's parliament voted in favor of buying two Russian-made reactors from Bulgaria for the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said on Feb. 11.

President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the lawmakers last week to approve the project, calling it a "key to energy independence."

Bulgaria has offered to sell its unused 15-year-old VVER-1000 reactors and other equipment for units 3 and 4 of the western Ukrainian nuclear power plant as Ukraine faces regular Russian attacks against its energy grid.

Some lawmakers have criticized the deal, arguing that the reactors are obsolete and expensive. The parliament has long struggled to pass the law, prompting Bulgaria to extend the deadline for concluding the deal until March.

The price of the two reactors was set at $600 million, said lawmaker Andrii Zhupanyn.

Nuclear power is key in sustaining Ukraine's energy grid, covering more than half of the country's electricity consumption. Russian missile and drone attacks have dealt devastating damage to Ukraine's thermal and hydroelectric generating capacity, necessitating regular emergency shutdowns.

The Khmelnytskyi plant, one of the three remaining operational nuclear stations in Ukraine-held territories, is being expanded to offset the loss of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, currently under Russian occupation.

The news comes as Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko, who has advocated for purchasing Russian-made reactors, is under mounting political pressure. Opposition lawmakers accused the minister of "systemic corruption in the energy sector," "failure to protect parts of the energy infrastructure," and "lies and manipulations" and called for his dismissal.

Updated: Russian strike damages Naftogaz facilities in Poltava Oblast

The attack, which included strikes on gas infrastructure overnight and continued into the morning, has further strained Ukraine’s energy grid.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy