ARCHIVE – Steam rises from the cooling towers at the Mochovce nuclear power plant. Photo: Radovan Stoklasa/TASR/dpa
Keystone
The USA and Slovakia want to cooperate more closely in the civilian use of nuclear energy in order to make the EU member state less dependent on Russian energy. Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico and US Energy Secretary Chris Wright signed an intergovernmental agreement to this effect in Washington. Plans include the construction of a new 1200-megawatt reactor block at the Jaslovske Bohunice site. The US company Westinghouse Electric Company is considered a promising candidate for the contract, which is estimated to be worth around ten to fifteen billion euros.
Slovakia relies heavily on nuclear power
Fico spoke of a “significant milestone in bilateral relations” with the USA. He is also due to meet President Donald Trump during his visit to the US.
The existing nuclear power plants at the Jaslovske Bohunice and Mochovce sites cover more than half of the electricity consumption of Slovakia, which has a population of just under 5.5 million. They have pressurized water reactors of Soviet and Russian design respectively. In the past, Austrian opponents of nuclear power have repeatedly protested against the plants, some of which are more than 40 years old. Jaslovske Bohunice is only around 100 kilometers east of Vienna.