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Mochovce

City, Country
Mochovce, West Slovakia

Number & type of Reactors
4x 440/213

Net Electric Power as % in 92 of national total
1480 MWe

Major population Centers in a 150 km radius and
total estimated population of 150 km r. region
Approximately 15 million including Brno, Bratislava, Budapest, outskirts of Wien

Date of commercial operation start up
or (if unfinished) date of construction start.
Begun in 1984, completion unsure

Operator/Builder
SE (Slovak Energy), Skoda Praha - operator

Accidents and Dangers:

With several different building partners and changes in the project, Mochovce has serious construction problems including no containment, low standards for critically important security systems, and poor seismic resistence in a seismically active area.

Local Contact Group:

Levice Environmental Group
Levická Environmentálna Skupina - Attn: Miloš Krémár
Jána Bottu 19
Levice 93401, Slovakia
tel 42 (0) 813 21230

Key Arguments/History

Mochovce has been studied in depth because of the proposed EBRD funding for the plant. It is not the least cost solution to the energy problems of the country. There are serious doubts about what safety standards the plant can be brought up to, especially given that much of it has not been properly mothballed for the last three years. There are serious seismic issues because of the high earthquake tendencies of the area, amplified by the soft sand on which the plant rests. An IAEA offical estimated it would cost approximately 3 billion DM to bring the plant up to acceptable standards - making the energy price extremely uncompetitive. Finally, cooperation with the Russians under the new construction plan increases Slovak dependence on this unstable country. A Beyernwerke director said "A plant like this would never be permited to be built outside Munich", while Bayernwere was actively pushing the project.

Alternatives:

Mochovce epitomizes the failure of the economics of nuclear power in the region. Energy experts have concluded that construction of a highly efficient combined cycle gas turbine is a cheaper alternative to Mochovce when all factors were taken into consideration. Other alternatives include: cogeneration resources, 1400 MW electric and 1200 MW heat power, have big potential in replacing the energy provided by the first two blocks of Mochovce. Slovakia urgently needs a decentralized energy sector. Biomass- currently 1.2% of the nations energy is created through biomass - some studies predict about 15-25% can be found using these resources. Also, some areas of the Slovak Republic could effectively use Solar and Wind resources. The largest potential for energy alternatives can be found in efficiency. Specifically, the Slovak industries could save 35-50% of the nations energy.