Slovakia will sign an agreement on nuclear power cooperation with the United States next week, announced Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Saturday, as the country progresses towards a deal to construct a new nuclear power unit with U.S. assistance.

Slovakia, which currently operates five nuclear reactors across two plants, has been in discussions with Washington since last year about building a large plant with U.S. firm Westinghouse.

Fico revealed on Saturday that the new plant would have a capacity of nearly 1,200 megawatts (MW), making it larger than the existing units.

"In partnership with American colleagues, we aim to build a new large block under full state ownership at the current nuclear power plant in Jaslovske Bohunice," he said, though he provided no further details.

Fico also mentioned his intention to attend the signing of a broader agreement on U.S.-Slovak nuclear cooperation in Washington on Friday, though he did not offer more specifics on the event.

In October, the Slovak government approved an intergovernmental agreement with the U.S. for the construction of the new unit, and Fico confirmed in December that U.S. President Donald Trump had invited him to the United States during this year's World Cup to finalise the nuclear power deal between the two nations.

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