Security Council suspends tender for selecting technologies to create nuclear fuel plant in Ukraine

The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) has suspended a tender to select a technology for VVER-1000 reactor nuclear fuel production to create a nuclear fuel plant in Ukraine, an informed source in the sector has told Interfax-Ukraine. An addendum to an announcement of the tender of January 27, 2010 has appeared on the Fuel and Energy Ministry's official Web site, reading that "documents for the tender to select a technology for VVER-1000 reactor nuclear fuel production to create a nuclear fuel plant in Ukraine with an official invitation to participate in the tender will be directed to Westinghouse Electric and OAO TVEL later."Presidential Envoy for International Energy Security Bohdan Sokolovsky, in turn, confirmed that the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine had suspended the tender.According to Sokolovsky, the NSDC called on the interdepartmental commission selecting a technology for nuclear fuel production to order the document in accordance with a council decision put into effect by a president's decree, which obliges the Fuel and Energy Ministry to conduct the tender. The National Security and Defense Council in its decision partially defined the criteria for choosing a potential partner for the construction of such a plant."The National Security and Defense Council suspended the [tender] because, according to the council, a number of the document's points do not correspond to the council decision," Sokolovsky said.