The Slovak Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ÚJD) has received a request from Jadrová Energetická Spolocnost Slovenska (JESS) for a siting permit for a new NPP. It will be located near the existing Bohunice NPP in Jaslovské Bohunice. ÚJD has one year to make a decision on the application. JESS is a joint venture between Slovak radioactive waste management company JAVYS (51%) and Czech utility CEZ (49%). It was formed in December 2009 specifically to build and operate a new NPP at Bohunice.
The siting permit application, comprising some 2500 pages, was accompanied by “Requirements for the Quality of a Nuclear Facility and the Proposal for the Nuclear Facility Boundaries for the New Nuclear Resource Project (NJZ)”. JESS said the application also includes details on: the commissioning safety report; physical-technical aspects of the project; the method of handling radioactive waste and used nuclear fuel; the size of the emergency planning zone; and an assessment of the impact on the environment.
JESS plans to apply for a construction licence for the plant at the end of 2025. According to the current schedule, construction work is scheduled to start in 2031. Other activities will focus on preparation of the process for selecting a technology supplier.
Slovakia operates four nuclear power units at two NPP sites - Mochovce 1&2 and Bohunice 3&4 - which generate half its electricity. Mochovce 3 was connected to the grid earlier in February and Mochovce 4, still under construction, is expected to be connected next year.
JESS says on its website that preparation of a new nuclear resource in Jaslovské Bohunice “is in line with all relevant strategic and conceptual documents of the Slovak Republic” and “is also in line with the European Union's directives and documents on low-carbon energy, energy security and competitiveness, as well as with all the commitments of the Slovak Republic, which of these documents require”. The NJZ project was also included in the National Investment Plan of the Slovak Republic for the years 2018- 2030.
JESS successfully completed an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the NJZ in 2016. The EIA allowed for one generation III+ nuclear reactor with a maximum net installed electrical power of up to 1,700 MWe with a lifespan of 60 years. At that time, the cost was estimated at €4-6bn ($4.25-6.37bn).
However, construction of the plant was frozen in favour of a photovoltaic solar project with hydrogen production. Then, in 2021, after years of lobbying by JESS, parliament adopted an amendment to the Atomic Act, which allowed the construction of another resource if needed. Then Minister of Economy Richard Sulík specified that before building a new nuclear unit in Bohunice, it was first necessary to launch Mochovce 3&4.
Image: The existing Bohunice plant (courtesy of Slovenské Elektrárne)
