Westinghouse Electric Company today announced that its VVER-1000 fuel had performed flawlessly over at least three fuel cycles following an annual inspection of Westinghouse fuel assemblies at South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3. The joint inspection of six Westinghouse fuel assemblies by representatives from the power plant, SE AtomRemontService (SE ARS) and Westinghouse took place between February 15 and March 1, 2015. The results were verified and validated by the State Nuclear Inspectorate of Ukraine. Forty-two Westinghouse fuel assemblies, delivered to the South Ukraine nuclear power station in November 2014, now will be loaded into Unit 3 in the coming days.

"Following comprehensive inspections of all nuclear fuel at the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant, it has been concluded by joint Energoatom and Westinghouse experts that the Westinghouse fuel has performed exactly to specification and has not exhibited any flaws in its operation, as expected," said Yves Brachet, Westinghouse president, Europe, Middle East and Africa. "This inspection is one of several that confirm the safe and efficient use of Westinghouse fuel and its utilization in additional plants in Ukraine and in other countries that utilize Russian-designed nuclear power stations."

Westinghouse is a global nuclear fuel provider for pressurized water reactors (PWRs), including Russian-designed VVER reactors, as well as boiling water reactors (BWRs) and advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGRs). Westinghouse today provides nuclear fuel to 145 plants globally, 65 of which are in Europe, and has 10 nuclear fuel manufacturing locations around the world, including two sites in Europe: Springfields Fuels Limited in Preston, Lancashire, U.K., and Westinghouse Electric Sweden in Västerås, Sweden. Westinghouse is the largest supplier of nuclear fuel in Europe and also is the only other fuel manufacturer for VVER type reactors. In December 2014, Westinghouse and Energoatom of Ukraine completed a significant contract extension of fuel supply to VVER 1000 reactors that will be delivered from the company’s fuel facility in Sweden.

Westinghouse Electric Company, a group company of Toshiba Corporation (TKY:6502), is the world's pioneering nuclear energy company and is a leading supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies to utilities throughout the world. Westinghouse supplied the world's first pressurized water reactor in 1957 in Shippingport, Pa., U.S. Today, Westinghouse technology is the basis for approximately one-half of the world's operating nuclear plants, including more than 50 percent of those in Europe.