Ukraine, which is planning to build part of nuclear fuel recycling facilities, will not be engaged in uranium enrichment activities, Prime Minister Yuri Yekhanurov said on Friday.

Yekhanurov made the remarks in the eastern region of Kharkov when presiding over a meeting on his country's nuclear fuel recycling capabilities, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

Ukraine could make a breakthrough in energy independence in the next 10-12 years, he said. Construction of part of the facilities for nuclear fuel recycling is a priority in the country's energy strategy, he added.

The prime minister said Ukraine is doing research on nuclear fuel recycling, including ways to store nuclear waste.

Considering the number of nuclear power plants in the country, the issue of nuclear waste recycling must be put on the agenda now, Yekhanurov said.

Ukraine currently has five nuclear power plants that provide about half of the country's electricity needs.

Russia had supplied all of Ukraine's nuclear fuel needs in the past. In 2005, the United States began to provide nuclear fuel for some of the country's nuclear plants.

Source: Xinhua