Slovakia’s Mochovce 4 nuclear reactor has begun supplying electricity to the national grid, marking a major milestone in the country’s nuclear expansion. The 471-megawatt unit is expected to meet around 13 per cent of Slovakia’s current electricity demand.
“For the first time in history, Mochovce unit 4 is supplying electricity to the Slovak electricity system,” said Branislav Strýček, chairman and chief executive of Slovenské elektrárne.
He said the milestone marked the culmination of decades of work to develop a new low-emission electricity source.
Mochovce 4 achieved nuclear criticality on 6 August, before undergoing tests to confirm its equipment was functioning as designed. The reactor began gradually increasing power in September as part of the start-up process.
The grid connection was originally scheduled for 13 October but was delayed after an irregularity was detected in the response of voltage measurement circuits in the plant’s non-nuclear section. The operator said some technical tests had to be repeated.
The first turbogenerator has now been synchronised with the grid. The second must undergo the same process before further testing can take place at progressively higher power levels.
The final stage will require the reactor to operate continuously at full power for 144 hours. Slovenské elektrárne expects the unit to become fully operational by the end of the year.
Construction of the four-unit Mochovce plant began in 1982, with work on the third and fourth reactors starting in 1986 before being halted in 1992.
The first two units began operating in 1998 and 1999. Construction of units 3 and 4 resumed in 2009, with the project initially costed at €6.7 billion ($7.6 billion). Mochovce 3 entered commercial operation in October 2023.
Slovakia currently operates five nuclear reactors, generating more than 60 per cent of its electricity. Three are at Mochovce and two at the Bohunice plant.
According to Slovenské elektrárne, nuclear power could meet 77.5 per cent of Slovakia’s electricity demand once Mochovce 4 is fully operational, potentially giving the country the world’s highest share of nuclear-generated electricity.
The Slovak government is also planning to build another large nuclear reactor at Bohunice while exploring the potential of small modular reactors.
Slovenské elektrárne is majority-owned by Slovak Power Holding BV, itself owned by the Czech energy group Energetický a průmyslový holding. The Slovak state retains a 34 per cent stake in the utility.
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