Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4 Officially Connected to the Grid

According to the operator Slovenské elektrárne, Unit 4 of the Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant in Slovakia officially began generating electricity at 15:33 on Monday. This marks the last major stage before the unit enters commercial operation. The unit reached criticality and minimum controlled power in early August. Before approving entry into the latest stage of trial operation, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority of the Slovak Republic conducted a comprehensive inspection and assessed the relevant documents. The transition from physical startup to energy startup means that the heat generated by the reactor will be used to heat water and produce steam, thereby driving the turbine to generate electricity. Next, the reactor's output power will be gradually increased in stages—5%, 20%, 35%, 55%, 75% and 90%—with inspections and tests at each power level before further increases. When power reaches 20%, the unit will be officially connected to the Slovak power system. The final test will be continuous operation at 100% full power for 144 hours. Branislav Strýček, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Slovenské elektrárne, said: "With the successful completion of this stage, Slovakia will gain a new stable source of electricity. In the coming decades, it will make an important contribution to the country's energy security and the achievement of climate goals." Martin Mráz, Director of the Mochovce Completion Project, said: "We have successfully completed the fuel loading and physical startup stages... The achievement of this milestone is a recognition of the high level of professionalism of the Slovenské elektrárne project team and the quality of work of all those involved in the completion."

2026-09-23

Slovenské elektrárne launches extended outage of Unit 2 at Mochovce

Slovenské elektrárne will disconnect the last turbogenerator from the grid at 3:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 12, officially launching the extended outage of Unit 2 at the Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant. This will be the last scheduled outage of a Slovak nuclear unit this year. Over the coming weeks, nuclear professionals will carry out an extensive program of work covering inspections, repairs, and upgrades, aimed at ensuring the long-term safe and reliable operation of the nuclear power plant. One of the most critical items of this outage is a detailed inspection of the reactor pressure vessel. This work requires the complete unloading of nuclear fuel from the reactor...

2026-09-16

Slovakia Proposes Strengthening Nuclear Energy Cooperation with Bulgaria

On September 7, Slovakia, as the rotating president of the Visegrad Group (V4), proposed enhanced cooperation to Bulgaria. The Visegrad Group comprises the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that Slovakia and Bulgaria have potential for strengthening bilateral cooperation, including in the nuclear energy sector. Slovakia also invited Bulgaria to participate in Visegrad Group cooperation mechanisms. According to Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár, the Visegrad Group held a foreign ministers' meeting with Japan this week...

2026-09-08

Slovakia to Seek Seat on IAEA Board of Governors

Slovakia will seek a seat on the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) during the Agency's General Conference in Vienna in September. The Slovak delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár. Blanár stated that Slovakia is highly dependent on nuclear energy, and securing a seat on the Board would help the country play a greater role in decision-making related to nuclear safety and energy security. Slovakia also plans to use this opportunity to promote innovative nuclear technology applications, including small modular reactors, and to continue strengthening international cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. If elected, the Chair of the Slovak Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Marta Žiaková, is expected to represent Slovakia at relevant IAEA Board of Governors meetings.

2026-08-23

Unit 4 of Slovakia's Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant Reaches First Criticality

Slovenské Elektrárne stated that Unit 4 of the Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant reached first reactor criticality at 22:10 local time on August 6, and achieved minimum controllable power at 22:31. This is a key milestone in the pre-commissioning work of the unit, indicating that the reactor is ready for subsequent testing. First criticality refers to the first time the nuclear fuel in the core achieves a self-sustaining fission chain reaction. Slovenské Elektrárne stated that first criticality and reaching minimum controllable power are important steps in the commissioning process of a nuclear power plant, used to confirm the unit's readiness to enter the next phase of testing...

2026-08-08

Hungary's Paks Nuclear Power Plant Avoids Full Shutdown as Danube Rises 2 cm, Now Operating at Only 240 MW

From the night of August 4 to the early morning of August 5, Hungary's Paks Nuclear Power Plant (about 100 km south of Budapest, commissioned in 1982, never fully shut down in its history) nearly disconnected from the grid due to low Danube water levels—3 of its 4 units had been sequentially shut down, leaving only one turbine operating at about 240 MW (normal output near 2,000 MW), supplying roughly half of Hungary's electricity. Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar stated that the river level rose about 2 cm overnight, allowing the final unit's cooling to be maintained and averting the first full shutdown in 44 years; temperatures are still expected to exceed 40°C in the coming days, with cooling and rainfall only anticipated around Friday (approximately August 8). To alleviate energy pressure, Prime Minister Magyar thanked those who voluntarily...

2026-08-06