Ukraine applies for membership in OECD Nuclear Energy Agency

Why it matters

Ukraine's NEA application is part of a broader push for OECD accession, which Kyiv formally renewed in June 2026 and which the OECD Council is scheduled to consider for the first time on 16 September. The bid is paired with concrete moves to integrate Ukraine's nuclear sector with Western partners: domestic production of Westinghouse fuel components, long-term fuel supply contracts with Cameco and Urenco, and a near-doubling of electricity interconnector capacity with the EU. Taken together, these steps signal Ukraine's intent to position itself as a Western-aligned nuclear and clean electricity hub, particularly after the NEA's 2022 suspension of cooperation with Russia.

What happened

First Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal announced at the "Roadmaps to New Nuclear 2026" ministerial conference in Paris that Ukraine is applying for membership in the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), an intergovernmental body within the OECD system that promotes safe and economically efficient peaceful use of nuclear energy. Shmyhal presented NEA membership as one of the steps toward Ukraine's broader OECD accession, which Kyiv has been pursuing since the OECD Council recognized Ukraine as a potential member in 2022 and for which Ukraine renewed its request to open accession negotiations on 23 June 2026; an OECD Council meeting to consider Ukraine's case is scheduled for 16 September.

Alongside the application, Shmyhal outlined Ukraine's nuclear fuel strategy. Ukraine was the first country to load alternative Westinghouse fuel into VVER-1000 and improved-design VVER-440 reactors and has launched domestic production of components for Westinghouse fuel assemblies for VVER-1000 reactors. Kyiv aims to cover at least 30% of its VVER reactor fleet's needs with domestic production and to localize up to 100% of fuel assembly needs for VVER-1000 reactors, with the next strategic step being the creation of nuclear fuel assembly capacities on Ukrainian territory. Supply chain security is underpinned by long-term partnerships with Canada's Cameco for uranium supply and Britain's Urenco for uranium enrichment services.

Shmyhal also set out Ukraine's electricity export ambitions, noting that interconnector capacity with Europe is currently 2.4 GW and is planned to rise to 4.5 GW, positioning Ukraine as a potential key exporter of clean electricity to the EU. He highlighted Ukraine's experience in maintaining nuclear and radiation safety under full-scale war — including engineering shelters for critical components, multi-level power supply redundancy, and "energy island" operating modes — as lessons for nuclear safety design, and called for investment in training a new generation of nuclear engineers, builders, and scientists.

Background

The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency is an intergovernmental body within the OECD system whose mandate is to promote cooperation among countries with developed nuclear energy for the safe, environmentally friendly, and economically efficient peaceful use of nuclear technologies. In April 2022 the NEA suspended its cooperation with Russia. In 2022 the OECD Council recognized Ukraine as a potential member and launched a preliminary accession dialogue; on 23 June 2026 Ukraine renewed its request to officially open accession negotiations, with a first OECD Council consideration of Ukraine's case scheduled for 16 September. Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President, met in Paris with OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann to discuss Ukraine's OECD integration.