Slovakia has a real chance to rank among the leaders in the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs). The country has suitable sites, expertise and infrastructure to do so. This has been confirmed by a comprehensive feasibility study presented by the dominant electricity generator, Slovenske Elektrarne (SE).
“Small modular reactors represent a strategic opportunity for Slovakia. They will strengthen energy security, support decarbonisation and can bring new investment to the regions,” said Branislav Strycek, Chief Executive of Slovenske Elektrarne.
He noted that the country already needed to consider the growing demand for electricity, while also having the potential to become a significant exporter not only of cars but of electricity as well. SMRs are one of the realistic answers to this challenge.
The feasibility study was developed under the Project Phoenix in cooperation with the international engineering company Sargent & Lundy, the Slovak Ministry of Economy and other partners. The project is supported by the US programme FIRST (Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology).
The study assessed more than 100 stringent criteria in line with recommendations from the International Atomic Energy Agency – ranging from seismic conditions to environmental risks. Of the five originally assessed sites, four meet the requirements for building SMRs, including stability, water availability and grid connection: Jaslovske Bohunice, Mochovce, Vojany and the U. S. Steel Kosice site. The fifth location, Novaky, was removed from the list as it was deemed unsuitable for geological reasons due to decades of mining activity.
According to SE, it is still too early to say exactly where and when its first SMR might be built. The company intends to focus on sites it owns, namely Jaslovske Bohunice, Mochovce and Vojany.
“We have not yet decided which site we will choose. We want to carry out a business analysis of the locations over the next year,” clarified Stanislav Pecko, head of the small modular reactors project at SE, adding that the company examined eight technologies from different manufacturers at various stages of development.
Strycek said that SE did not intend to be the first company to invest in the new technology.
“We are too small a company to be first, because the first will be more expensive than the fifth,” he said. “We won’t be in the first group, but in the second wave.”
In the United States and Canada, pilot commercial operation of SMRs is expected within five years. Initial estimates suggest that the first SMR could be built in Slovakia within a 10-15-year timeframe.
The output of small nuclear plants is expected to be up to around 300 megawatts. By comparison, Mochovce units 3 and 4 each have an output of 471 megawatts.
The new nuclear power plant that the Robert Fico government plans to build at Jaslovske Bohunice should have an output of 1,200 megawatts. Fico is travelling to Washington to sign on January 16, a major intergovernmental agreement with the United States related to the construction of this plant, with an estimated cost of between EUR 13 billion and EUR 15 billion.
In the Czech Republic, the launch of the first small modular reactor is expected in the first half of the 2030s. The local energy company CEZ plans to build the first reactor at Temelin, where a conventional nuclear power plant is already in operation.
Several companies are already focusing on the construction of modular reactors, including the US-based Westinghouse, South Korea’s KHNP, the UK’s Rolls-Royce and Paris-based Newcleo. (Slovak Spectator)