The country’s dominant power producer, Slovenské Elektrárne, a.s. (SE) still believes it will complete the third and fourth units of the Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant (EMO) on schedule. "We will certainly complete Mochovce on time," SE spokesperson Juraj Kopriva stressed. Slovenské Elektrárne plans to launch commercial operation of the third unit in September 2012 and the fourth unit is due to be connected to the grid six months later. The head of Slovakia's Nuclear Supervision Office (UJD), Marta Žiaková, told a press conference on June 18 that on May 27, SE filed an application for a permit to "change an existing construction before its completion."
SE is waiting for a non-binding opinion on EMO’s completion from the European Commission (EC). Kopriva said that according to statements made by the EU Energy Commissioner, the EC opinion should be announced at the beginning of July. At present, preparatory works including logistics, fitting out buildings, and infrastructure on the site of the third and fourth units are being carried out. During the spring months, approximately 350 to 400 people worked there. According to Kopriva, completion work could actually start now, since SE has already been granted construction permits. An SE spokesperson, however, declined to say whether the company would start construction before receiving the EC opinion.
Completion of the third and fourth units at Mochovce will cost Sk60 billion. An interest in participating in the completion of the project was expressed to the SITA newswire by the Czech company Škoda JS, a.s., as part of a consortium along with Russian firm Atomstroyexport, and Slovak companies Enseco, a.s., VUJE, a.s., and Inžinierske Stavby Košice, a.s.. Up to the end of August 2004, a total of Sk19.9 billion, including interest on loans and bank fees, was spent on the two unfinished units. About 70 percent of the site and 30 percent of the technology of the two units had been completed by that date. Since April 2006, Italy’s Enel has held a 66-percent stake in SE; the remaining portion is in the hands of the state. Enel paid EUR 839 million for its majority stake in SE. SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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