Westinghouse said it has begun a six-month front-end and engineering design study for its AP1000 reactor technology at Jaslovské Bohunice nuclear plant in Slovakia.
The study is funded by the Department of State’s Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology Program, according to Westinghouse’s Oct. 28 press release. The company said the study will support the project planning at the Jaslovské Bohunice plant in constructing a new large-scale reactor at the site.
The study will be completed for “Jadrová energetická spoločnosť Slovenska, a wholly owned subsidiary of state-owned Jadrová a vyraďovacia spoločnosť, which is responsible for developing Slovakia’s new nuclear plant,” according to the release.
Jaslovské Bohunice currently generates 942 megawatts from two VVER units, Russian pressurized water reactors that generate around 471 megawatts each. The Slovakian nuclear complex has two other plants that are being decommissioned.
“We thank the Slovak and U.S. governments for their close cooperation on civil nuclear power and for U.S. support in leading the FEED financing,” Petr Brzezina, president of Westinghouse Czech and Slovakia, said in the release. “Not only would an AP1000 plant at Jaslovské Bohunice deliver real economic benefits and high-quality jobs to Slovakia for generations, it can also foster the country’s energy independence.”
The Slovak government plans to build 1,200 megawatts of new nuclear power at the plant as a part of an intergovernmental civil nuclear agreement it has with the United States, which was signed in January. Nuclear power is the main source of electricity production in Slovakia, making up 66% of the country’s generating capacity.
