President outlines Ukraine's nuclear policy priorities

KIEV, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Monday outlined the priorities of his country's nuclear policy for achieving energy independence, the presidential press service said.

During his visit to Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant (NPP) in western Ukraine, Poroshenko said that the establishment of an energy bridge between Ukraine and the European Union (EU), which would allow for integration of the United Energy System of Ukraine into the European network ENTSO-E, is one of the key goals of Ukraine.

Among other priorities, Poroshenko listed the completion of the construction of two reactors at Khmelnitsky NPP and a facility for nuclear waste near the destroyed Chernobyl nuclear power plant, and the implementation of the project on the building of small modular reactors SMR-160 in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian leader noted that becoming self-sufficient in nuclear fuel is another strategic goal for Ukraine.

Ukraine generates over half of its electricity from nuclear energy. Currently, 15 reactors in four nuclear power plants are operating in the East European country.