Slovenské elektrárne sign contract with Urenco for enriched uranium supplies

Slovenské elektrárne has signed a contract with the British Urenco group to supply enriched uranium for its nuclear power plants in Jaslovské Bohunice and Mochovce. The contract secures supplies for ten years and follows an international tender launched in 2024 to strengthen Slovakia’s energy security by diversifying its nuclear fuel suppliers.

“We are pleased that our future cooperation with the Urenco group will enable us to diversify our business relationships. This will significantly help us maintain stable and secure operations at our nuclear power plants,”said Branislav Strýček, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Slovenské elektrárne.

This will be the first supply of nuclear fuel from Urenco for Slovak reactors.

“We are proud to be entering a new market with a new customer, and we thank Slovenské elektrárne for their trust. Urenco supports countries’ energy security by providing enrichment services for clean and reliable nuclear power,” said Urenco Chief Commercial Officer Laurent Odeh.

Uranium enrichment as a key stage of the fuel cycle

Slovenské elektrárne noted that uranium enrichment is the most technologically and financially demanding stage of the nuclear fuel cycle. Access to reliable and diversified enrichment services is therefore a strategic priority for every nuclear power plant operator.

Natural uranium contains only 0.7% of the U-235 isotope, which is fissile and essential for sustaining the chain reaction in a nuclear reactor. Uranium enrichment is the process of increasing the proportion of this isotope—typically to 3 to 5%—so that the fuel meets the requirements for use in light-water reactors.

Gas centrifuge technology is most commonly used for enrichment, while gaseous diffusion technology, now obsolete, is used only to a very limited extent.

Nuclear power in Slovakia and Urenco’s position

Slovakia currently operates five nuclear reactors with a total installed capacity of 2300 MW, which supply approximately half of the country’s total electricity consumption. Unit 4 at the Mochovce power plant is currently in the commissioning phase.

The Urenco group is headquartered in the United Kingdom and operates uranium enrichment facilities in Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was founded in 1970 under the Treaty of Almelo and is owned in equal shares by the governments of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands and the German energy companies E.ON and RWE.