Fico: Slovakia wants to build a new nuclear unit under state ownership

Bratislava, May 13 (CTK correspondent) – The Slovak government is interested in building a new nuclear unit with a capacity of up to 1200 megawatts under state ownership, Prime Minister Robert Fico told reporters today. The cabinet is expected to make its first decision on the matter at its next meeting on Wednesday. Bratislava wants to select a construction partner through an international tender. Czechia is also currently holding a tender for the construction of new nuclear units.

Slovakia had already begun preparing a project for a new nuclear power plant in cooperation with Czechia. In 2009, during Fico’s first cabinet, Jadrová energetická spoločnosť Slovenska (JESS) was established for this purpose. The Slovak Ministry of Economy controls 51 percent of its shares, with the remaining stake held by Czech power company ČEZ Group. The original plan was for construction of the nuclear power source to begin in 2014.

„We have to respond to energy needs. Estimates suggest that electricity consumption in Slovakia could rise by as much as 80 percent over the next 20 years. It has to be a source controlled by the state, which will enable us to manage crisis situations as well,“ Fico said.

As recently as last November, he mentioned cooperation with Czechia on the construction of a new nuclear unit or the use of small modular reactors.

„From a political perspective, we cannot imagine the technology coming from the Russian Federation. A tender will be prepared,“ Economy Minister Denisa Saková said after meeting with Fico, referring to the planned new power plant.

She added that she would like the tender to be completed by the current government, which took office last year for a four-year term.

According to Fico, the state wants to use existing infrastructure in Jaslovské Bohunice for the power plant’s construction. Bratislava shut down two units of the older V1 nuclear power plant there in 2006 and 2008 to meet its commitments to the EU. The country’s largest electricity producer, Slovenské elektrárne (SE), also operates its own nuclear power plant at the site. Fico said choosing this location would speed up the permitting process.

Nuclear power plants account for the largest share of electricity generation in Slovakia. Last year, SE connected the completed third unit of the Mochovce nuclear power plant to the grid. According to SE, fuel is due to be loaded into the plant’s fourth unit, which is nearing completion, next year. Completion of the plant has been significantly delayed and has gone over budget.

Czechia is also preparing to build new nuclear units. Both bidders invited by the government, South Korea’s KHNP and France’s EDF, have submitted binding offers to build up to four nuclear reactors in Czechia. ČEZ will analyse the bids, and the government will decide on the winner and the number of units to be built in the summer. The first unit at Dukovany is expected to be completed by 2036.