Slovak power utility Slovenské elektrárne has started loading nuclear fuel into unit 4 of its Mochovce nuclear power plant, after receiving an operating license from the country’s nuclear regulator. The 471 MW reactor will raise the share of nuclear energy in the domestic electricity mix to 77.5%, putting Slovakia ahead of the current European and global leader, France.
Slovenské elektrárne has not announced a timeline for the launch of electricity generation at the new reactor. Mochovce’s unit 4 is based on the Russian VVER-440/V-213 reactor design and is being loaded with nuclear fuel from Russian producer TVEL, according to Slovenia’s Naš stik.
Slovakia has invested EUR 6.7 billion in units 3 and 4 of the Mochovce nuclear power plant
The third unit of the Mochovce nuclear power plant began operation in early 2023. The combined investment in units 3 and 4 is estimated at EUR 6.7 billion, it wrote.
The fourth reactor is expected to boost Slovakia’s annual electricity production to 37 TWh. Since the country’s current consumption is around 28 TWh a year, the move will make it a net exporter of electricity, according to TASR.
Prime Minister Robert Fico, who attended the ceremony, noted that Slovakia plans to build another reactor, in an investment estimated at between EUR 12 billion and EUR 15 billion.
Europe is embracing nuclear energy amid the fossil fuel crisis
Nuclear energy accounted for 23.2% of electricity production in the European Union in 2025, Eurostat data shows. According to the World Nuclear Association, France generates 380 TWh annually from its nuclear power plants, representing 67% of its electricity mix.
France is advocating a nuclear revival and has formed an alliance in Europe to promote that goal. On the other hand, Germany has shut down all of its nuclear facilities, but has agreed to recognize nuclear power as a low-carbon energy source.
Nuclear energy accounts for about 23% of the EU’s electricity generation
Earlier this year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU wants to be part of a global nuclear revival. She also said that reducing the share of nuclear energy was a “strategic mistake” that left Europe exposed to volatile fossil fuel imports.
Hungary recently launched construction of a fifth reactor at its Paks nuclear power plant, while Slovenia is working on a project to build the Krško 2 nuclear power plant. Greece is also considering adding nuclear power to its energy mix, while Serbia hopes to have a nuclear facility online by 2040.
