On Friday, 10 February, Slovenské elektrárne, a.s., completed the power start-up phase at 20% of the reactor's rated power at the Mochovce nuclear power plant Unit 3, and increased it to 35% the same afternoon. At this power level, the unit can now produce steam to drive both of its turbine generators. Over the weekend, therefore, the new unit's electricity production rose to more than 2.6 gigawatt-hours per day and has so far produced a total of 14.5 GWh, equivalent to the annual consumption of 5 800 households.
"The third unit is already in operational configuration with two phased turbines, currently each giving the output of approximately 55 MW. Due to the colder weather, we’ve used only one cooling tower so far, but we will need two when we increase the output further."
– Peter Farkaš, Mochovce NPP Operations Manager
From now on, the Unit 3 should supply electricity to the grid continuously, with small interruptions due to planned tests. Once this commissioning phase is complete, Slovakia's largest electricity producer will increase the output of Mochovce Unit 3 to 55%. The full functionality of the Unit 3 and achievement of design parameters will be confirmed by successful completion of the 144-hour proof run at 100% with 471-megawatt output.
The new nuclear unit in Mochovce will have the installed capacity of 471 megawatts at start-up, which will cover approximately 13% of Slovakia's total electricity consumption. In terms of electricity production, Slovakia will thus become energy self-sufficient already this year.
The lifetime of the new unit is planned to be 60 years at least.
Seven out of ten Slovaks support nuclear energy. Up to 60% think it is safe to generate electricity in a nuclear power plant. This is shown by the results of an ACRC public opinion poll conducted for the Slovak Society for Foreign Policy (SFPA) and Slovenské elektrárne in June-July 2022.
Approximately 70% of all electricity generated in Slovakia comes from Slovenské elektrárne. Thanks to nuclear power plants in particular, Slovakia's largest producer supplies almost 95% of its electricity without emitting carbon dioxide, which is considered to be one of the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. The company is the only one in Slovakia and Eastern Europe to be included in the prestigious Financial Times' Europe's Climate Leader 2022 index for reducing emissions.
In addition to nuclear power plants, the company operates 31 hydro, two thermal and two photovoltaic power plants. Their total capacity is 4143.8 megawatts.
The company has two shareholders. The majority shareholder is Slovak Power Holding B.V. (SPH) with 66.0000000523 % stake in the share capital. In SPH, EP Slovakia B.V. (a subsidiary of the EPH Group) holds 50 % of the share capital and the remaining 50 % belongs to Enel Produzione S.p.A (a subsidiary of the Enel Group).
The minority shareholder of Slovenske elektrárne, with a 33,9999999477 % share in the share capital, is the Slovak Republic, on behalf of which acts the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic.
On Saturday, 4 February 2023 at 5:35 PM Slovenské elektrárne, a.s., successfully connected to the grid also the second turbine generator of Mochovce 3 nuclear power plant and are continuing with further tests at the power level of 20 %. The first turbine was connected to the grid on Tuesday, 31 January 2023 at 10:57 PM.
"By connecting the turbine generators to the electricity grid of the Slovak Republic, we have for the first time realistically fulfilled the mission of a nuclear power plant – to maintain the fission chain reaction safely and reliably, as well as to supply real electricity to the consumers. Of course, we still have dozens of tests to do before Unit 3 starts producing at 100 %."
– Marek Podolec,
Operation Manager of Mochovce 3 and 4 Nuclear Power Plant
Unit 3 has already supplied two gigawatt-hours of electricity to the grid since it was first synchronised, representing the annual consumption of 800 average households. The process of gradual increase of Unit 3 output and the supply of electricity to the grid helps fulfil the agreement with the Government, in which Slovenské elektrárne committed to supply cheap electricity to households at the price of EUR 61.2077 per megawatt-hour, which represents an unprecedentedly low electricity price for households in the EU.
"The progress of the tests so far in the power start-up phase shows readiness of the technology, start-up personnel as well as operating personnel. Testing is proceeding according to the schedule."
– Juraj Krasňanský
Director of Completion and Commissioning of Mochovce 3 and 4 Nuclear Power Plant
Once all the tests of this stage are evaluated, the unit will transfer to the power level of 35 % of the reactor power and will be gradually increased up to 100%, with short-term planned shutdowns according to the commissioning schedule of the new unit. Full operation of Unit 3 and achievement of project parameters will be confirmed by successful completion of the 144-hour trial run phase at full 471 megawatt power.
The new nuclear unit in Mochovce will have the installed capacity of 471 megawatts at start-up, which will cover approximately 13% of Slovakia's total electricity consumption. In terms of electricity production, Slovakia will thus become energy self-sufficient already in 2023.
The lifetime of the new unit is planned to be 60 years at least.
Seven out of ten Slovaks support nuclear energy. Up to 60% think it is safe to generate electricity in a nuclear power plant. This is shown by the results of an ACRC public opinion poll conducted for the Slovak Society for Foreign Policy (SFPA) and Slovenské elektrárne in June-July 2022.
Approximately 70% of all electricity generated in Slovakia comes from Slovenské elektrárne. Thanks to nuclear power plants in particular, Slovakia's largest producer supplies almost 95% of its electricity without emitting carbon dioxide, which is considered to be one of the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. The company is the only one in Slovakia and Eastern Europe to be included in the prestigious Financial Times' Europe's Climate Leader 2022 index for reducing emissions.
In addition to nuclear power plants, the company operates 31 hydro, two thermal and two photovoltaic power plants. Their total capacity is 4143.8 megawatts.
The company has two shareholders. The majority shareholder is Slovak Power Holding B.V. (SPH) with 66.0000000523 % stake in the share capital. In SPH, EP Slovakia B.V. (a subsidiary of the EPH Group) holds 50 % of the share capital and the remaining 50 % belongs to Enel Produzione S.p.A (a subsidiary of the Enel Group).
The minority shareholder of Slovenske elektrárne, with a 33,9999999477 % share in the share capital, is the Slovak Republic, on behalf of which acts the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic.
On Tuesday, 31 January 2023 at 10:57 PM, Slovenské elektrárne has connected to the grid the first of the two turbine generators of the Mochovce 3 nuclear power plant. The plant reached this important milestone less than three weeks after the Nuclear Regulatory Authority of the Slovak Republic gave its approval for the beginning of the power start-up on 13 January 2023.
"Today marks a major milestone - for Slovenské elektrárne, the nuclear power community and the entire country. As of today, Unit 3 is already converting the thermal energy released in the reactor into electricity. This will help us fulfil the agreement with the Government, in which Slovenské elektrárne committed to supply cheap electricity to Slovak households at the price of 61.2077 euros per megawatt hour, which represents an unprecedented low price in the EU. Congratulations to my colleagues and thank you to all those who have done their utmost so that we could achieve this important moment today. The new unit will make a significant contribution not only to energy stability, but also to the commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the road to carbon neutrality."
Branislav Strýček, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Slovenské elektrárne, a.s.
After the transition to power start-up, tests were conducted successively at the levels of 5, 15 and 20% of the reactor's rated power, with measurements and tests of both nuclear and non-nuclear parts of the plant. The secondary circuit was heated up and steam lines blown down, cold and hot flushes of turbine condensers and low-pressure regenerators as well as feedwater lines were done, and tests of steam generator relief valves were carried out, which were heard in wider vicinity of the plant.
After successful preparation and performance of the tests necessary to start the turbines, steam was brought into the turbines for the first time over the weekend (28 and 29 January), spinning them step-by-step up to their rated speed of 3,000 rpm.
Slovenské elektrárne, a.s. also tested functionality of all electrical protections of the generator itself, the block transformer and finally the 400 kV line connecting the plant to the power system via the Veľký Ďur substation. Electricity will flow along this route to Slovak consumers.
Once this part of the power start-up was completed, Slovenské elektrárne, a.s. could proceed to the actual synchronisation of the first turbine-generator with the grid at 20% of the reactor's nominal power and the Mochovce 3 began to supply the first electricity to the grid.
However, a large part of the second stage of the so-called "energy start-up" is still ahead of Slovenské elektrárne. The unit is still to be tested at various power levels ranging from 35% to 100%.
"In the following weeks, the new unit will supply electricity to the grid with short-term planned shutdowns, according to the new unit commissioning schedule," explained Martin Mráz, Director of Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant.
The full functionality of Unit 3 and the achievement of the design parameters will be confirmed by successful completion of the 144-hour proof run at full power.
The new nuclear unit in Mochovce will have the installed capacity of 471 megawatts at start-up, which will cover approximately 13% of Slovakia's total electricity consumption. In terms of electricity production, Slovakia will thus become energy self-sufficient already in 2023.
The lifetime of the new unit is planned to be 60 years at least.
Seven out of ten Slovaks support nuclear energy. Up to 60% think it is safe to generate electricity in a nuclear power plant. This is shown by the results of an ACRC public opinion poll conducted for the Slovak Society for Foreign Policy (SFPA) and Slovenské elektrárne in June-July 2022.
Approximately 70% of all electricity generated in Slovakia comes from Slovenské elektrárne. Thanks to nuclear power plants in particular, Slovakia's largest producer supplies almost 95% of its electricity without emitting carbon dioxide, which is considered to be one of the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. The company is the only one in Slovakia and Eastern Europe to be included in the prestigious Financial Times' Europe's Climate Leader 2022 index for reducing emissions.
In addition to nuclear power plants, the company operates 31 hydro, two thermal and two photovoltaic power plants. Their total capacity is 4143.8 megawatts.
The company has two shareholders. The majority shareholder is Slovak Power Holding B.V. (SPH) with 66.0000000523 % stake in the share capital. In SPH, EP Slovakia B.V. (a subsidiary of the EPH Group) holds 50 % of the share capital and the remaining 50 % belongs to Enel Produzione S.p.A (a subsidiary of the Enel Group).
The minority shareholder of Slovenske elektrárne, with a 33,9999999477 % share in the share capital, is the Slovak Republic, on behalf of which acts the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic.
Earlier in January, Slovenské elektrárne successfully completed the first stage of commissioning of the new nuclear unit, so-called physical start-up. It included dozens of prescribed tests - pressure tests of the containment, primary circuit and steam generators had to be carried out, functionality of the reactor control and protection systems had to be verified, and complex tests had to be carried out to verify all the reactor core characteristics - first without the controlled fission reaction, later at the minimum power of 10-7 to 2% of the nominal power.
A report on the physical start-up results was submitted by Slovenské elektrárne to the Nuclear Regulatory Authority of the Slovak Republic, which issued the approval for the next stage of commissioning of the nuclear installation - the energy start-up on 13 January 2023.
In this commissioning stage, the reactor power is increased to 5% in the first step and further tests are carried out with simulation of situations that the plant is unlikely ever to experience in normal operation. The power level will be increased step-by step until 100% of the nominal power is reached. At each power level, a series of scheduled tests, approved by the Nuclear Safety Authority of the Slovak Republic, will be carried out.
Once the reactor power is increased to 20 %, when the steam generators are producing sufficient steam, the first turbine-generator and later the second one will be connected to the Slovak electricity system and first megawatt-hours of low-carbon electricity will start flowing into the grid.
The full functionality of Unit 3 and the achievement of the design parameters will be confirmed by successful completion of the 144-hour proof run at full power.
The new nuclear unit in Mochovce will have the installed capacity of 471 megawatts at start-up, which will cover approximately 13% of Slovakia's total electricity consumption. In terms of electricity production, Slovakia will thus become energy self-sufficient already this year.
The lifetime of the new unit is planned to be 60 years at least.
Seven out of ten Slovaks support nuclear energy. Up to 60% think it is safe to generate electricity in a nuclear power plant. This is shown by the results of an ACRC public opinion poll conducted for the Slovak Society for Foreign Policy (SFPA) and Slovenské elektrárne in June-July 2022.
More than 64.3% of all electricity generated in Slovakia comes from Slovenské elektrárne. Thanks to nuclear power plants in particular, Slovakia's largest producer supplies up to 94% of its electricity without emitting carbon dioxide, which is considered to be one of the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. The company is the only one in Slovakia and Eastern Europe to be included in the prestigious Financial Times' Europe's Climate Leader 2022 index for reducing emissions.
In addition to nuclear power plants, the company operates 31 hydro, two thermal and two photovoltaic power plants. Their total capacity is 4143.8 megawatts.
The company has two shareholders. The majority shareholder is Slovak Power Holding B.V. (SPH) with 66.0000000523 % stake in the share capital. In SPH, EP Slovakia B.V. (a subsidiary of the EPH Group) holds 50 % of the share capital and the remaining 50 % belongs to Enel Produzione S.p.A (a subsidiary of the Enel Group).
The minority shareholder of Slovenske elektrárne, with a 33,9999999477 % share in the share capital, is the Slovak Republic, on behalf of which acts the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic.
The controlled fission chain reaction is already underway in the reactor, although the reactor power is very close to zero.
"This is a very important milestone in the commissioning of the nuclear reactor. It is the moment when we have vivified the nuclear fuel in the reactor, and we are bringing the reactor to life. It should be at full power in early 2023."
Branislav Strýček, Director General of Slovenské elektrárne
Slovenske elektrarne thus achieved another important milestone in the nuclear installation commissioning:
"Today we are starting the physical start-up tests and bringing the reactor to power. The first reactor start-up includes complex tests, in which all characteristics of the reactor core are verified in real conditions."
Martin Mráz, Mochovce NPP Director
After the tests are completed in the next few days, Mochovce 3 will move from physical to power start-up. This means that heat from the reactor will be sufficient to heat up water and generate steam to spin the turbines. The reactor's output will gradually increase and at 20 % the plant will be synchronised to the Slovak electricity grid for the first time.
In the next phase of commissioning, so-called power start-up, the reactor power is increased step by step and a number of tests are carried out. Various situations will be simulated that the plant will probably never experience in normal operation.
The power level is gradually increased until the reactor finally reaches 100 % power. It is only in this second start-up phase that the first megawatt-hours from the new Mochovce 3 unit, with no carbon dioxide emissions, will get to the Slovak electricity grid.
Commissioning is completed with 144-hour trial run of Mochovce 3 at full capacity. Slovakia will thus become energy self-contained in terms of electricity production in 2023. The new unit’s lifetime is planned to be 60 years at least.
When putting the reactor unit into operation, it is always necessary to dismantle and close the reactor after loading the fuel. Slovenské elektrárne is proceeding with the commissioning of the new unit according to schedule. “After closing and sealing the reactor vessel, we pressurised the primary circuit to 0.5 MPa and deaired the entire system. As part of the deairing, we also performed the first inspection of the integrity of the boundary of the primary circuit. This was followed by a pressure test at 2.5 MPa, which is the first opportunity for checking the primary circuit at higher pressure, but also the last opportunity for checking its tightness when cold,” explained Marek Podolec, manager of operation management of the NPP Mochovce Units 3 and 4.
The reactor consists of several parts, which are gradually and very precisely placed on top of each other in the reactor shaft:
Slovenské elektrárne loaded a control rod guide assembly to the reactor core basket, in which the fuel assemblies are positioned. In it, boron absorbers are placed on 37 emergency, reactor control rods, which are used to regulate the fission reaction in the reactor. When you slide the assemblies from the top to the bottom position, the reaction stops. Conversely, pulling them out increases the reactivity.
The new reactor was covered by the reactor closure head and tightened with 60 reactor closure head studs.
After increasing the medium level in the primary circuit, which is a mixture of water and boric acid, it was possible to connect the control rod drive mechanisms to the control rods themselves.
Engagement of the control rod drive mechanism and smooth running of the reactor control rods was measured by raising each assembly to its upper end position and measuring its smooth running without stalling. This is how all 37 reactor control rods were tested.
In order for the reactor operators to know the exact position of each reactor control rod during operation, 37 position indicators still had to be installed on the control rods drive mechanism, thus completely closing the reactor, and thus the unit went into mode 5 (cold shut down), which means a sealed reactor in a cold state. After the reactor was assembled, it was closed with a lid (the so-called “kolpak”) in the hermetic zone, meaning the containment.
Slovenské elektrárne started commissioning NPP Mochovce Unit 3 into operation on September 9, when it started loading nuclear fuel. After completing the fuel load, on September 12, the company proceeded to assemble the reactor, which was finished on September 20. The next milestone is the pressure and tightness tests of the reactor and the containment, the achievement of the critical state and the physical escalation tests. All these steps are part of so-called physical escalation, which takes about six weeks.
In the next phase – the power escalation – the reactor output is gradually increased, and a number of tests are carried out. Again also testing such situations that the power plant would never experience in normal operation. The power level is gradually escalated until finally the reactor reaches 100 percent power output. Only in this second phase of commissioning will the first megawatt-hours from the new Mochovce unit enter the Slovak grid, and electricity produced without carbon dioxide emissions will light up bulbs in households throughout Slovakia for the first time.
The start-up is completed by a 144-hour trial run of the Mochovce Unit 3 at its full capacity. From the point of view of electricity production, Slovakia will become energy self-sufficient as early as 2023. The service life of the new unit is planned for at least 60 years.
Each fuel loading is carried out according to a pre-prepared and approved programme, detailing which fuel assemblies will be placed in which positions in the reactor. There are 312 positions for fuel assemblies in the reactor and 37 positions for control assemblies with absorber. The introduction of the fuel into the reactor is only the beginning of the start-up process.
The correct loading of the assemblies is confirmed by UJD and IAEA inspectors
Inspection of the loaded assemblies is carried out by inspectors of the Slovak Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ÚJD SR), together with experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who are present in the reactor hall of Unit 3.
After the inspection, Slovenské elektrárne, a.s. can proceed to the next start-up activities – the next milestones are the reactor assembly, pre-critical tests, reaching criticality and physical tests. All these steps are part of the so-called physical startup, which takes about six weeks.
In the next phase of the energy startup, the reactor power is gradually increased and a number of tests are carried out. Even situations that the plant will never experience during its operation. The power level is gradually increased to 100% of the reactor output.
As the thermal output of the reactor increases, so does the amount of steam that spins the turbines in the power plant. Only in this second commissioning phase, the first megawatt hours from the new Mochovce 3 unit will reach the Slovak electricity grid and the electricity produced free of carbon dioxide emissions will light up the households and factories in Slovakia.
The commissioning is finished by a 144-hour trial run of Mochovce Unit 3 at its full power.
Slovakia will thus become energy self-sufficient in terms of electricity production as early as 2023. The operating life of the new unit is planned to be at least 60 years.
The third Mochovce unit is no longer in the construction phase, after the first fuel assembly was loaded, it became the fifth nuclear unit operated in Slovakia. In the next four months or so, Slovenské elektrárne will undergo successively the phases of physical tests, power escalation tests and the final 144-hour trial run of the 471 MW unit at full power. Branislav Strýček, chairman of the Board of Directors and general director of Slovenské elektrárne, a.s., stated today at a press conference in Mochovce.
"Today we are beginning to write a new chapter of the energy sector in Slovakia and Europe. It is a peak of the long-standing project, which is one of the largest and most demanding in Europe, both financially and also infrastructurally. When fully operational, Mochovce Unit 3 will cover 13% of Slovakia's electricity consumption. This will make our country self-sufficient. At the same time, we will have one of the cleanest energy mixes in Europe. Achieving this milestone would not have been possible without the people from Slovenské elektrárne, our contractors and experts from the European nuclear industry, especially from Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Our thanks go to them."
Branislav Strýček, chairman of the Board of Directors and general director of Slovenské elektrárne, a.s.
With the loading of fuel into the reactor on 9 September, the whole commissioning process is just beginning.
The loading itself takes 108 hours, followed by reactor assembly, pre-critical tests, reaching criticality and physical tests.
All these steps are part of the so-called physical startup, which takes about six weeks.
In the next phase of the energy startup, the reactor power is gradually increased and a number of tests are carried out. Even situations that the plant will never experience during its operation. The power level is gradually increased to 5, 20, 35, 55, 75, 90 and finally 100% of the reactor output.
As the thermal output of the reactor increases, so does the amount of steam that spins the turbines in the power plant. Only in this second commissioning phase, the first megawatt hours from the new Mochovce 3 unit will reach the Slovak electricity grid and the electricity produced free of carbon dioxide emissions will light up the households and factories in Slovakia.
The commissioning is finished by a 144-hour trial run of Mochovce Unit 3 at its full power.
Slovakia will thus become energy self-sufficient in terms of electricity production as early as 2023. And the CO2 free electricity supply from Slovenské elektrárne, a.s. will approach 100%. The operating life of the new unit is planned to be at least 60 years.
The first assembly loading into the reactor was preceded by the official signing of the second instance decision on the commissioning of the power plant by Marta Žiaková, the chairwoman of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority of the Slovak Republic (NRA), which made this document legally valid and enforceable. The signature of the chairwoman of the NRA and the handing over of the licence to Branislav Strýček, the general director of Slovenské elektrárne, a.s., took place directly in the reactor hall.
More than 64.3% of all electricity generated in Slovakia comes from Slovenské elektrárne. The electricity supplied to the grid covers about 60% of the country's consumption. In particular, thanks to nuclear power plants, Slovakia's largest producer supplies up to 94% of its electricity free of carbon dioxide emissions, which is considered to be one of the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.
In addition to nuclear power plants, the company also operates 31 hydro, 2 thermal and 2 photovoltaic power plants. Their total capacity at the end of 2021 was 4,143.8 megawatts.
The company has two shareholders. The majority shareholder is Slovak Power Holding B.V. (SPH), holding a 66.0000000523% share in the share capital. In SPH, EP Slovakia B.V. (a subsidiary of the EPH Group) holds 50% of the share capital and the remaining 50% belongs to Enel Produzione S.p.A (a subsidiary of the Enel Group).
The minority shareholder of Slovenské elektrárne with a 33,9999999477% share in the share capital is the Slovak Republic (shareholder's rights are executed by the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic).
“Starting up the nuclear unit is a major milestone; it is great news for our company and for Slovakia, especially now at this time of an energy crisis. Unit 3 of Mochovce and our people are ready for start-up. We will start loading the fuel into the reactor without delay after the permit enters into a legal force,” stated Branislav Stryček, chairman of the board of directors and general director of Slovenské elektrárne, a.s.
The nuclear fuel for the reactor is now ready in the fresh fuel nod.
“After loading the fuel, physical start-up will begin. After that is complete, the power start-up follows, with the reactor power gradually being increased. We need approximately 18 weeks to achieve 100% power,” explained Martin Mráz, director of the Mochovce nuclear power plant.
The commissioning phase ends after all physical and power escalation tests have been completed, with a 144-hour trial run at full power. The reactor unit will start supplying power to the grid after connecting in one of the generators to the grid, which will happen at 20% of nominal power already during power escalation.
“Our top priority in power generation is always safety, and we will take the same approach when commissioning the unit. We have decades of experience in operating nuclear units and a team of internationally renowned experts, who will be in control of the entire process.”
- Branislav Strýček, Chairman and CEO of Slovenské elektrárne, a.s.
Readiness of Unit 3 for operation was also verified by international reviews by the International Atomic Energy Agency (Pre-OSART missions [1]) and the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO mission [2]).
Approximately 450 contractors have been involved in the construction completion project. At the peak of construction at Mochovce, nearly 7000 workers were on site, and by the end of 2021, over 107 million man-hours had been worked on the project.
Slovenské elektrárne, thanks mainly to its nuclear power plants, last year supplied to the grid 94 % of energy CO2-free. The annual production of the unit 3 will save 2.6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, which is the same as if more than 1 million cars and trucks disappeared from Slovak roads
At start-up, the new nuclear unit at Mochovce will have an installed capacity of 471 MW, covering about 13% of Slovakia’s total electricity consumption. After the start of production, Slovakia will become self-sufficient in electricity supply.
Seven out of ten Slovaks support nuclear energy. Some 60% think that generating electricity at a nuclear power plant is safe. This is shown by the results of a public opinion survey by the ACRC agency for the Slovak Association for Foreign Policy (SFPA) and Slovenské elektrárne, conducted at the turn of June and July 2022.
[1] Pre-Operational Safety Review Team (Pre-OSART)
[2] The World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO)
The popularity of peaceful use of nuclear energy is on the rise among Slovaks. If they could choose the source they believe is most important for a successful transition to a greenhouse gas-neutral energy system, nuclear power plants would come second - after solar energy. At the same time, the perception of the safety of nuclear power in Slovakia is changing, with 60.6% of the population considering nuclear power to be very safe or rather safe, compared to 45.2% in 2015.
While in 2015 every third Slovak wanted nuclear power plants to be decommissioned, either immediately (6.1%) or when they reach the end of their life (29.7%), today as many as seven out of ten people are convinced that we need nuclear power plants, we should operate them (35%) or both operate and complete new nuclear units (34.1%). This is according to the results of an opinion poll conducted by the ACRC agency in June and July 2022.
A gradual shift away from fossil fuels is key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the energy sector has an important role to play here. Slovak residents would choose mainly solar power plants to reduce emissions (38%), followed by nuclear power plants (17%), wind power plants (16%) and hydroelectric power plants (16%). Geothermal energy (7%) and biomass combustion (6%) finished on the tail.
The situation is perceived in a diametrically different way by people living within 20 kilometres of Slovak nuclear power plants Bohunice NPP and Mochovce NPP. Up to 43% of them see nuclear power as the top priority in the fight against climate change. Solar energy is a distant second with 24% and wind energy is third with 18%.
Compared to 2015, a significant increase in support for nuclear energy can be observed. The development of nuclear energy is supported by 7 out of 10 people in Slovakia, which is an increase of almost 12% over the last decade. At the same time, 62% of respondents were in favour of the completion of units 3 and 4 at Mochovce NPP.
"The results of the survey, which we compared with a previous survey, show that support for nuclear power, approval of its operation and perception of its safety, has increased significantly within society and even more significantly among the population living in the vicinity of the plants," adds Michal Imre, Research Director of ACRC, the company that conducted the survey.
Almost three quarters of Slovaks (74.6%) perceive climate change as one of the main challenges we face as a civilisation. At the same time, an even larger share of the population believes that it is right to try to reduce emissions to zero. As many as four out of five of them think so (79.2%).
But as the share of intermittent renewables in Europe's energy mix grows, so do the demands on back-up sources, which today are mainly represented by power plants burning increasingly expensive natural gas – supplying the grid when there is less sunshine or little wind. Respondents were therefore asked whether they would be willing to accept an increase in electricity prices if it would increase the share of renewables, i.e. wind, solar, small hydro or geothermal power plants.
Only 7.3% of the population strongly agreed with the price increase and 35.5% of people were more likely to favour this option. They would be willing to accept an increase in the invoiced amount by a maximum of 5 (60.5%) or 10 euros per month (32.3%).
More than 98% of gas consumption in Slovakia is imported. The imports are 100% dependent from Russia. Should Slovaks reduce this dependence and obtain gas from other countries? This question was also asked in the survey. Gas is crucial in Europe, not only for heating, but also for the mentioned balancing of deviations caused by intermittent energy sources.
Three out of five (60.4%) Slovaks are strongly (23.6%) or rather in favour (36.8%) of reducing dependence on a single gas supplier. At the same time, people under 40 years of age, with a high school diploma or university degree are particularly inclined towards diversification of supply.
Only 7.4% would definitely accept a higher price and 24.4% of the population would be more likely to accept it. Even then, they would only be willing to pay 5 euros (63.2%) or 10 euros more (27.1%) on their monthly gas bill. It is important to underline that at the time of the survey, the price of both gas and electricity on the energy futures exchange had risen not by a few euros, but by several times due to the geopolitical situation in Europe.
In relation to climate change, the views of Slovaks are gradually changing also in how they assess the sustainability of energy production. While in 2015 as many as 53.4% believed that the country should produce as much energy as possible and export the surplus, today only 46.3% of the population is of the same opinion and up to half (49.3%) think that Slovak Republic should only produce as much as it consumes.
The survey was commissioned by the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (SFPA) and Slovenské elektrárne, which carried out a similar survey in 2015, making it possible to compare the change in the mood of Slovaks over the past years. The ACRC conducted the survey from 21 June to 12 July 2022 by face-to-face enquiry. The sample consisted of 812 respondents representing the 5 million population of the country, aged 15 to 69 years in terms of gender, age, education, settlement size categories and regional breakdown. At the same time, a sample of 504 and 506 respondents in the vicinity of the nuclear power plants in Mochovce and Jaslovské Bohunice, respectively, were surveyed by telephone.
