Slovakia gets USD5 million grant for SMR project
Slovakia has been awarded a grant from the USA's Nuclear Expediting the Energy Transition (NEXT) project for help in selecting a site for the construction of small modular reactors in the country.
The award is part of the US government-funded programme aiming to finance activities that will help countries to decide on, and prepare for small modular reactor (SMR) programmes. This grant follows on from a separate US government scheme - Project Phoenix - which awarded USD2 million last year to fund feasibility studies into the potential for SMRs in Slovakia on the sites of former coal-fired power plants.
The NEXT programme was announced by the Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry at the Three Seas Initiative Summit in Bucharest, Romania in September 2023. It provides technical assistance to eligible partner countries and "aims to provide technical support to partner countries that are exploring emerging clean nuclear energy technologies in a manner that makes them more affordable and accessible while adhering from the outset to the highest standards of nuclear security, safety, and nonproliferation".
Slovakia's Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Denisa Saková described being selected for the grant as a "great and significant success", saying: "Nuclear and nuclear energy are the most important topics in the energy sector, because they will significantly help us to decarbonise our industry, contribute to climate goals, but especially to ensure Slovakia's energy security and independence."
Slovenské elektrárne CEO Branislav Strýček said: "The demand for electricity will grow. Small modular reactors are not intended to replace our existing nuclear sources, which safely, reliably and without direct CO2 emissions cover the majority of consumption in Slovakia. SMRs are supposed to be a supplement to the energy mix for the energy self-sufficiency of the country in the future. The grant we won in international competition is great news. It gives us opportunities to accelerate the preparation of projects that are important for the success of our energy transformation."
The joint bid included the economy ministry, nuclear operator Slovenské elektrárne, the Slovak Technical University, the Office for Nuclear Supervision, the Slovak Electricity and Transmission System, engineering company VUJE and US Steel Košice.
The range of activities supported by the grant includes consulting services around the technical and regulatory requirements for SMRs, cooperation with universities and nuclear facilities. Slovenské elektrárne said: "After the selection of the most suitable location ... it will be necessary to carry out in-depth surveys on the site, which will ensure a clear and continuous path in the implementation of the SMR plan. All partners in this process want to achieve a level of knowledge that will help them support the country's goals in building SMRs, establishing academic partnerships, technical advice, and visits to specific US facilities."
Nuclear power in Slovakia
Slovakia currently has five nuclear reactors - three at Mochovce and two at Bohunice - generating half of its electricity, and it has one more at Mochovce under construction. Both plants are operated by Slovenské elektrárne.
In February last year Jadrová Energetická Spoločnosť Slovenska (JESS) submitted a request to the Slovak Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ÚJD) for a siting permit for a new nuclear power plant near the existing Bohunice plant in Jaslovské Bohunice, a small village in the west of the Slovak Republic. JESS - a joint venture between Slovak state-owned radioactive waste management company JAVYS (51%) and Czech utility ČEZ (49%) - was formed in December 2009 to build and operate a new nuclear power plant at Bohunice.
JESS is responsible for the preparation of the New Nuclear Resource Project (NJZ) and, "as part of the activities of the pre-preparation stage and in accordance with the approved Business Plan for the NJZ Project for the period 2022-2025, processed the necessary documentation for the written application for a permit for the location of a nuclear facility". At the time of submitting the siting permit application JESS said it planned to apply for a construction licence for the plant at the end of 2025 with construction work scheduled to start in 2031.
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