Mochovce 4 nuclear unit will not connect to the grid yet. Slovenské elektrárne report technical delay

Bratislava, 13 October (CTK correspondent) - Slovakia’s largest electricity producer, Slovenské elektrárne (SE), has postponed connecting the new fourth unit at the Mochovce nuclear power plant to the grid. The connection had been planned for this afternoon, with Prime Minister Robert Fico due to attend. The delay is due to the need to repeat a technical test of the unit, SE spokesperson Lenka Šarláková announced.

The company, part of the Energetický a průmyslový holding (EPH) group, now plans to connect the unit to the grid in the coming days. At that point, the reactor should be operating at 20 percent of its capacity.

Fuel loading in the fourth unit, which has an installed capacity of 471 megawatts, began in June this year. In September, the facility entered the final major phase of commissioning before commercial operation.

The fourth unit at the Mochovce power plant will strengthen the position of nuclear energy in Slovakia, which already generates most of its electricity from nuclear power.

The first two nuclear units at the Mochovce power plant have been in operation since the late 1990s. Construction of the third and fourth units began in 1987. Work was suspended in the 1990s due to a lack of funds and resumed only in 2008. Completion of the plant was significantly delayed compared with the original plan. At the same time, the cost of completing both units rose substantially, to 6.7 billion euros (more than 163 billion crowns).

The third unit at the Mochovce power plant began supplying electricity to the grid in 2023. Its launch helped make Slovakia self-sufficient in electricity generation. The move also significantly improved SE’s financial performance: last year, the company increased its consolidated net profit by 21.8 percent to a record 968 million euros (23.6 billion crowns). The company also operates, among other facilities, the nuclear power plant in Jaslovské Bohunice. EPH controls 66 percent of SE’s shares, with the remaining stake in the electricity producer held by the Slovak government.