Västerås, Sweden -- July 6, 2023 – A consortium led by Westinghouse was selected by the European Union (EU) to develop and deliver a secure, fully European nuclear fuel supply to Russian-designed pressurized water reactors (VVER). Diversifying the sources of VVER fuel will be fully achieved by strengthening European capabilities in design, manufacturing, and supply while accelerating the capacity-building process.
The APIS project brings together 12 European partners and is part of the EU's Horizon Europe program for research and innovation, with a contribution of 10 million euros from the Euratom Work Programme 2023-2025. The APIS consortium creates strong cooperation between countries with experience in the adaptation of fuel types and countries just starting their journey toward nuclear fuel diversification. There are currently over 30 reactors of VVER-440 and VVER-1000 design operating in the EU and in Ukraine.
The European partners from eight countries include utilities (CEZ AS, Czech Republic; Energoatom, Ukraine; Fortum, Finland; MVM Paks Nuclear Power Plant, Hungary; Slovenske Elektrarne AS, Slovakia), fuel manufacturers Westinghouse (Sweden) and Enusa (Spain), and fuel engineering and research organizations (JRC-Joint Research Centre-European Commission, Belgium; State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety of Ukraine; UJV REZ AS, Czech Republic; Uppsala University, Sweden; and VUJE, a.s., Slovakia).
“The APIS project is a strong collaboration between suppliers and utilities, fostered by the EU, to mitigate the current supply chain risk and reduce dependence on VVER fuel supply from Russia. Design competencies and manufacturing capabilities located in the EU offer a robust European solution to ensure energy security for these countries in the long run. Westinghouse’s fuel technology is the only available technology fully independent from Russian technology. Some countries have already embarked on this diversification path, demonstrating that alternatives exist in the VVER market. Westinghouse is deeply committed to offer, together with its partners, improved fuel designs and services with an even wider scope,” said Tarik Choho, Westinghouse Nuclear Fuel President.
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For more information about the APIS project please visit www.apis-project.eu.