The third block at Mochovce nuclear power plant (NPP) in western Slovakia is ready for commissioning, Economy Minister Richard Sulik (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS) said following his visit to the power plant on Thursday, adding that the extensive report of the Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS), which he received in mid-September this year, pointed to 19 different key reservations and non-functional components at the third reactor of the power plant. "Of these 19 points, 16 have been resolved, the remaining three are being addressed. None of these points nor any other findings are directly related to the operational safety of the nuclear reactor. Most of them were related to secondary or tertiary circuits," said Sulik.
According to the general director of power utility Slovenske elektrarne Branislav Strycek, the most critical issue of the three open areas is the verification and origin of materials that the power utility has completed. "We've submitted a report to the Nuclear Supervision Authority (UJD), which needs some time for its analysis and possible comments. This process should be completed by the end of this year," said Strycek. The UJD should subsequently invite the parties to look into the file before issuing a first-instance decision. "The decision could be issued at the end of February. If none of the participants appeal, it will enter into force after seven weeks. Next, the fuel will be loaded, which should be at the end of April. If someone challenges the first-instance decision, the whole process will be postponed by three-four months, that is until the end of July or the beginning of August," said Strycek assessing the further course of the launch of the third block. The fourth unit of the power plant should be put into operation two years after the third block is started.
The completion of Mochovce NPP began in 2008, the third reactor should have been completed in 2012, the fourth a year later. According to Economy Ministry State Secretary Karol Galek, the state's lack of interest and loss of control in the past may be behind the postponement of the completion dates, which is also reflected in the increase in the price of completion. The price for the completion of the third and fourth blocks of Mochovce NPP has thus climbed to €6.2 billion.
Source: TASR
