Ukraine has no alternatives to nuclear power for next 10-20 years, says PM

Ukrainian Premier Mykola Azarov has stated that Ukraine should develop nuclear power industry under conditions of overcoming an economic crisis, as it has no other alternatives.

"We don't have alternatives to nuclear energy in the near ten to twenty years, moreover we will develop it and this year we will start the construction of two power units at Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and a plant for fabrication of nuclear fuel," Azarov said during a meeting on exploitation of power units of NPPs at the emergency and technical center of state enterprise Energoatom in Bilohorodka (Kyiv region).
The PM stressed that "we are making a real steps for strengthening of our energy independence for the first time over 20 years of our independence."

"Of course, there are alternatives to nuclear power engineering, for instance solar or green energy generation, and some European countries, particularly Germany, can afford to refuse from nuclear power plants, but Ukraine, which is overcoming a serious economic crisis, cannot afford this," Azarov said.

Azarov added that the cost price of solar energy is UAH 4 per kilowatt, while nuclear energy cost is "50 times lower."