Czech Company Secretly Delivers Critical Equipment to Ukraine’s Rivne Nuclear Power Plant

The Czech company Plzeňská Škoda JS, part of the ČEZ Group, secretly delivered eight new reactor drives to Ukraine for the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant (Rivne NPP) in the Rivne region, according to Novinky news portal.

"Due to Russia's repeated attacks on energy infrastructure, we are reporting this only now, when we have delivered the last cargo to its destination," said Karel Samec, a spokesman for the company.

He explained that the devices guarantee the reactor's stable operation and enable regulation, which will contribute to maintaining a reliable electricity supply for Ukraine.

The delivery included eight new drives for two VVER-440 reactors. According to the contract, Škoda JS delivered 76 drives to the Rivne NPP. The majority have already been installed and are in operation, while the remaining drives are prepared to replace those that will soon reach the end of their service life.

Petr Altschul, Sales Director of Škoda JS, noted that, paradoxically, they are currently the only manufacturer worldwide capable of supplying this type of drive to Ukrainian nuclear power plants. He added that the only other suppliers are from Russia.

The company is in talks for another order, involving an upgraded version of the control rod drives for the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant.

"We expect to finalize the contract within the next year," said Altschul.

Earlier in December, Pavel Čechal, Managing Director of PBS Group, announced that the Ukrainian company Ivchenko-Progress, in collaboration with PBS Group, has successfully developed the AI-PBS-350 jet engine. This advanced engine is designed for use in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and a range of military applications.