Slovakia wants to diversify its suppliers of energy and military material in order to reduce its exclusive dependence on Russia in this sphere. This intention is included in a resolution adopted by the Parliamentary Defence and Security Committee.
Independent MP Daniel Lipšic explained after the Committee’s session that the Economy Ministry is to provide energy security mainly regarding nuclear fuel, which is the biggest problem. “Slovakia does not have any major problem with natural gas and crude oil but with nuclear fuel for our nuclear power plants, which is exclusively Russian,” he said. “If Russia stops servicing Slovak MIG planes, these could be maintained in Poland, based on an agreement, or the neighbouring Czech Republic could help Slovakia guarding its air space,” said Defence Minister Martin Glvač.
Economy Minister Tomáš Malatinský said that his department is preparing diversifying sources of nuclear fuel. “It does not concern only Slovakia, all states operating nuclear blocks of this type, for which the nuclear fuel producer exists only in the Russian Federation. We have a joint strategy to deal with it,” he said. A commission on the ground of the European Union will also discuss it. The minister estimates that nuclear power plants would be able to operate without new fuel supplies for approximately one more year. Attention should be paid as well to expanding the transit capacity of the crude oil pipeline Adria, which diversifies the possibilities of crude oil supplies. As far as natural gas is concerned, extending contracts with European suppliers on supplying gas in times of a crisis should be negotiated. Malatinský underscored, however, that diversification of energy sources is a conceptual, long-time matter and cannot be done overnight.
