New nuclear reactor in Slovakia – what is the current situation? – Technologies – Science and technology

The new nuclear reactor in Jaslovské Bohunice should tentatively be launched in 2040. A tender for a technology supplier will be issued in the middle of next year.

Currently, the nuclear power plant in Jaslovské Bohunice.

There are currently 440 nuclear reactors in operation in the world, with 62 under construction, most in China. In the EU, there are 100 nuclear reactors in operation in 12 countries, the most advanced currently being built in the Czech Republic and Poland.

According to experts’ estimates, the consumption of electricity will double or triple by 2050, and therefore this situation must be responded to, so the construction of a new nuclear power source is highly relevant even in our geographical regions. It is a “long haul”, even in the optimal case, the new nuclear reactor in Jaslovské Bohunice will be put into full operation in 2040.

This topic was dealt with by the conference Jadro – Energy Future of Slovakia, which was held in Bratislava on November 26 with the participation of Minister of Economy Denisa Sakova (Voice – Social Democracy), Alexej Beljajev, President of the Association of Industrial Unions and Transport of the Slovak Republic, senior representatives of VUJE, the Nuclear Energy Company of Slovakia (JESS) and representatives of Westinghouse, EDF and Amentum.

“If today we estimate the total costs for the construction of a new block of nuclear power plant at approximately 10 billion euros, then these costs increase by 8 to 10 percent every year. That is why we are in a hurry with the construction of the new nuclear block,” said Economy Minister Denisa Saková in her speech.

The new nuclear reactor is supposed to be a pressurized water reactor of the new generation III+ with a service life of at least 60 years. While one and possibly two blocks should be placed in the locality. The output of the unit should be in the range of 1000 to 1700 MWe, with the assumption that it should probably be 1200 MWe (“e” in short stands for megawatts electrical, which is specifically used to express the electrical output of equipment, especially power plants). The first nuclear fuel for the new reactor should be supplied by the contractor, with the possibility of changing the nuclear fuel supplier being contractually ensured.

Currently, the project is in the preliminary stage, while a feasibility study has already been prepared, land has been purchased and the construction of a new nuclear power plant is included in the spatial plans of the region and the affected cities and municipalities. Surveys in the given location have already been carried out, or are in progress, and a concept for water supply and the transportation of oversized loads to the location has been created. It is important that the project has already received the Certificate for the construction of new electrical equipment and the process of obtaining the EIA has also been completed.

In the second half of November, a proposal for the procedure and construction of a new nuclear source was discussed at the government meeting. Among other things, it specifies the method and schedule for the selection of a technology supplier, securing financing, the possibility of involvement of Slovak companies, the possibility of drawing on European resources, and last but not least, it should also propose the process of training future personnel.

As far as financing is concerned, its form will be precisely determined only after the supplier has been selected, and there are three scenarios in play – financing mainly by the state with the support of European sources, financing mainly through private sources, or a hybrid model.