The decommissioning of the Jaslovske Bohunice V1 NPP in Slovakia is entering its final phase, said Economy Ministry State Secretary Szabolcs Hodosy. He was speaking following a meeting of the monitoring committee of the European Commission’s Nuclear Decommissioning Assistance Programme (NDAP), which was held at the plant for the first time.
He said the project is now transitioning from the technologically challenging stage of dismantling the equipment to the demolition of buildings and structures. “This is also the NDAP’s final meeting under the Bohunice programme, because the decommissioning of the V1 nuclear power plant is entering its final stage,” he noted.
Slovakia currently has five nuclear reactors (all Soviet-designed VVER-440 units) generating half of its electricity – three at Mochovce, which began operation in 1998, 1999 and 2023) and two at Bohunice V2, which began operation in 1984 and 1985. Two older units at Bohunice VI, commissioned in 1978 and 1980 were closed down 2006 and 2008 as a condition for Slovakia’s entry into the European Union. A fourth unit at Mochovce is still under construction.
Hodosy added that Slovakia has managed to succeed in several challenging operations involving the decontamination and fragmentation of large-scale components at Bohunice VI such as reactor pressure vessels, steam generators and main circulation pumps. Using modern technologies, some 98% of metallic materials were cleared for recycling or further use. Hodosy said the decommissioning effort is proceeding in accordance with both the schedule and the planned budget.
Work now shifts strictly to conventional civil engineering, building demolition, and site clearance. The state-run Nuclear and Decommissioning Authority (JAVYS) is managing the final tasks to release the site from standard radiation oversight and complete full brownfield redevelopment. The project continues to be financed by the European Union and international donors through the Bohunice International Decommissioning Support Fund (BIDSF), managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Jan Pánek, Deputy-Director General responsible for nuclear energy, safety and ITER at the European Commission, noted that the NDAP committee brings together representatives from all EU-member states to monitor nuclear decommissioning projects in Slovakia, Bulgaria and Lithuania co-funded by the EU. He stressed that the Bohunice project has generated a significant amount of know-how that can be utilised by other countries. “The Jaslovske Bohunice programme will yield around 30 specific know-how outputs that will enable other operators to plan the decommissioning of their own nuclear power plants,” he said.
JAVYS Board Chairman Peter Gerhart said that the company has so far implemented more than 60 projects related to decommissioning the V1 power plant, with €891m ($1,036m) spent in total on the project by the end of 2025, of which the EC will provide more than €517m. Nearly 200,000 tonnes of the material were recovered, while more than 13,000 tonnes of radioactive waste were processed.
