diff --git a/platform/platform-resources/src/componentSets/Lang.xml b/platform/platform-resources/src/componentSets/Lang.xml
index ee2a74dc45aa..531a3d4e546c 100644
--- a/platform/platform-resources/src/componentSets/Lang.xml
+++ b/platform/platform-resources/src/componentSets/Lang.xml
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@
     </component>
     <component>
       <interface-class>com.intellij.openapi.module.impl.ExternalModuleListStorage</interface-class>
-      <implementation-class>com.intellij.openapi.module.impl.ExternalModuleListStorage</implementation-class>
+      <implementation-class>com.intellij.openapi.module.impl.ExternalModuleListStorageImpl</implementation-class>
       <loadForDefaultProject/>
     </component>
 
diff --git a/platform/projectModel-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/module/impl/ExternalModuleListStorage.kt b/platform/projectModel-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/module/impl/ExternalModuleListStorage.kt
index 9ea239100535..f79735615f32 100644
--- a/platform/projectModel-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/module/impl/ExternalModuleListStorage.kt
+++ b/platform/projectModel-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/module/impl/ExternalModuleListStorage.kt
@@ -13,14 +13,22 @@ import com.intellij.openapi.roots.ProjectModelElement
 import com.intellij.openapi.roots.ProjectModelExternalSource
 import org.jdom.Element
 
+interface ExternalModuleListStorage {
+  fun getExternalModules(): Set<ModulePath>?
+}
+
 /**
  * todo rename component state name to "ExternalProjectModuleManager" for consistency (2018.1 release)
  */
 @State(name = "ExternalModuleListStorage", storages = [(Storage("modules.xml"))], externalStorageOnly = true)
-internal class ExternalModuleListStorage(private val project: Project) : PersistentStateComponent<Element>, ProjectModelElement {
+internal class ExternalModuleListStorageImpl(private val project: Project)
+  : PersistentStateComponent<Element>, ProjectModelElement, ExternalModuleListStorage {
+
   var loadedState: Set<ModulePath>? = null
     private set
 
+  override fun getExternalModules(): Set<ModulePath>? = loadedState
+
   override fun getState(): Element {
     val e = Element("state")
     if (!project.isExternalStorageEnabled) {
diff --git a/platform/projectModel-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/module/impl/ModuleManagerImpl.java b/platform/projectModel-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/module/impl/ModuleManagerImpl.java
index 4c4e349ae553..1db40d457de4 100644
--- a/platform/projectModel-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/module/impl/ModuleManagerImpl.java
+++ b/platform/projectModel-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/module/impl/ModuleManagerImpl.java
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ public abstract class ModuleManagerImpl extends ModuleManager implements Disposa
   @Override
   public void loadState(@NotNull Element state) {
     Set<ModulePath> files = getPathsToModuleFiles(state);
-    Set<ModulePath> externalModules = myProject.getComponent(ExternalModuleListStorage.class).getLoadedState();
+    Set<ModulePath> externalModules = myProject.getComponent(ExternalModuleListStorage.class).getExternalModules();
     if (externalModules != null) {
       files.addAll(externalModules);
     }
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ public abstract class ModuleManagerImpl extends ModuleManager implements Disposa
   @Override
   public void noStateLoaded() {
     // if there are only external modules, loadState will be not called
-    Set<ModulePath> externalModules = myProject.getComponent(ExternalModuleListStorage.class).getLoadedState();
+    Set<ModulePath> externalModules = myProject.getComponent(ExternalModuleListStorage.class).getExternalModules();
     if (externalModules != null) {
       loadState(new LinkedHashSet<>(externalModules));
     }