Europe’s Newest Reactor Prepares to Start Up After 39-Year Wait

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After 39 years, Slovakia’s Mochovce nuclear reactor has begun fuel loading and is set to start commercial power generation by the end of summer. The Soviet-designed VVER-440 unit is the fourth new reactor commissioned in the European Union in three years, highlighting the bloc’s push for clean, round-the-clock power amid rising electrification and data-center demand. Completion was delayed by funding gaps, shifting safety rules, and faulty workmanship, making it the second-longest construction in nuclear history at a ballooned cost of €6.7 billion. The project does nothing to reduce the EU’s reliance on Russian nuclear fuel, as Mochovce’s supply comes solely from Rosatom’s TVEL unit. Slovakia has stockpiled enough Russian fuel to run its six reactors until 2031, and the country has opposed EU proposals for a swift phaseout of Russian nuclear imports, citing insufficient alternative capacity. The utility is working with Westinghouse and Framatome for future supplies, but Framatome’s fuel will initially come from a Franco-Russian joint venture and won’t be fully European for about a decade. The new reactor will boost nuclear’s share of Slovakia’s power generation to 77%, making the country a net electricity exporter. Slovakia is already self-sufficient, so all new capacity is expected to be sold abroad. The government also plans another reactor at Jaslovske Bohunice with Westinghouse, though completion is not expected until around 2040. What to watch next: Whether Slovakia can secure non-Russian fuel supplies by 2028 as planned, and how the EU’s stance on Russian nuclear imports evolves given Moscow’s 40% share of global uranium enrichment.

Key Takeaways

Mochovce’s reactor is the fourth new EU nuclear unit in three years, underscoring the bloc’s clean-energy push despite 39 years of delays.
Slovakia remains fully dependent on Russian nuclear fuel until at least 2031, with diversification efforts not yielding results until 2028.
The plant’s cost ballooned from €2.8 billion to €6.7 billion, making it the second-longest nuclear construction in history.
Slovakia will become a net electricity exporter, with nuclear power supplying 77% of its generation.

Insights & Analysis

The Mochovce saga illustrates the tension between EU climate goals and energy security: new nuclear capacity reduces fossil-fuel reliance but deepens dependence on Russian fuel supply chains.
As data-center and electrification demand surges, Europe’s nuclear renaissance may accelerate, but fuel diversification and construction efficiency remain critical bottlenecks.

Original source

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-29/europe-s-newest-reactor-prepares-to-start-up-after-39-year-wait?srnd=phx-industries

Sentiment

Summary

**After 39 years, Slovakia’s Mochovce nuclear reactor has begun fuel loading and is set to start commercial power generation by the end of summer.** The Soviet-designed VVER-440 unit is the fourth new reactor commissioned in the European Union in three years, highlighting the bloc’s push for clean, round-the-clock power amid rising electrification and data-center demand. Completion was delayed by funding gaps, shifting safety rules, and faulty workmanship, making it the second-longest construction in nuclear history at a ballooned cost of €6.7 billion.

**The project does nothing to reduce the EU’s reliance on Russian nuclear fuel, as Mochovce’s supply comes solely from Rosatom’s TVEL unit.** Slovakia has stockpiled enough Russian fuel to run its six reactors until 2031, and the country has opposed EU proposals for a swift phaseout of Russian nuclear imports, citing insufficient alternative capacity. The utility is working with Westinghouse and Framatome for future supplies, but Framatome’s fuel will initially come from a Franco-Russian joint venture and won’t be fully European for about a decade.

**The new reactor will boost nuclear’s share of Slovakia’s power generation to 77%, making the country a net electricity exporter.** Slovakia is already self-sufficient, so all new capacity is expected to be sold abroad. The government also plans another reactor at Jaslovske Bohunice with Westinghouse, though completion is not expected until around 2040. **What to watch next:** Whether Slovakia can secure non-Russian fuel supplies by 2028 as planned, and how the EU’s stance on Russian nuclear imports evolves given Moscow’s 40% share of global uranium enrichment.

Key Takeaways

Insights

Teks Asli (SEO)

Full article body

Almost four decades after the fall of communism in Slovakia, a Soviet-designed reactor is finally about to produce power.

Fuel loading began at the fourth and final unit of the Mochovce nuclear plant on Monday, paving the way for commercial startup by the end of the summer. It’ll also be the fourth new reactor commissioned in the European Union in three years, underscoring the bloc’s efforts to bolster clean power just as widespread electrification and a burgeoning data-center buildout boost demand.

Completing the facility was far from easy. At 39 years, it’s the second-longest construction time in the industry’s history, reflecting difficulties with funding, changing safety regulations and faulty workmanship. The project also does nothing to reduce the EU’s reliance on Russian energy, with Mochovce’s nuclear fuel supplied solely by Rosatom’s TVEL Fuel Co. — at least for now.

The new plant will “ensure we have a reliable energy supply at all times,” said Branislav Strycek, chief executive officer of Slovenske Elektrarne, the utility controlled by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky that operates the complex. “This is a significant step forward for Slovakia and for the wider eastern European region.”

Several countries in Europe are adding reactors in a bid to strengthen energy security without burning fossil fuels and jeopardizing climate goals. While renewables are also expanding at a rapid clip, nuclear plants can provide round-the-clock power, running regardless of weather conditions to stabilize the grid.

The new reactor at Mochovce will come online just a few years after another unit at the sprawling site was connected to the network. France and Finland have also added atomic stations since 2023.

Russian Dominance

Despite efforts to curb reliance on fossil-fuel imports — including an EU phaseout of Russian gas by the end of next year — Moscow’s grip on nuclear-fuel supplies persists. Indeed, Slovenske Elektrarne has stockpiled enough from TVEL to supply its six reactors until 2031.

Yet the utility is also looking to diversify, working with both Westinghouse Electric Co. and France’s Framatome on future supplies. The first deliveries from both companies are expected in 2028, although Framatome’s fuel will initially be produced by a Franco-Russian joint venture and will only become fully European within about a decade.

Read More: France Signs MoU to Help Cut Slovak Reliance on Russian Fuel

Russia accounts for an estimated 40% of the world’s uranium enrichment capacity. Slovakia has objected to European Commission proposals for a swift wind-down of Russian nuclear-fuel imports, arguing that alternative global suppliers don’t yet have sufficient capacity to meet demand.

The EU does have its own enrichment capability. If the bloc were to stop other countries from using it, Slovenske Elektrarne could in theory cut out Russian fuel by 2032, Strycek said in an interview on Friday.

Nuclear’s Swelling Share

The new VVER-440 reactor at Mochovce is expected to generate about 3.5 terawatt-hours of electricity a year, boosting nuclear’s share of Slovakia’s total power generation to 77%, according to Strycek.

Work on the final two reactors at Mochovce began in 1987, but was halted in the early 1990s when the centrally planned economy collapsed following the fall of communism.

It was Prime Minister Robert Fico who in 2008 pushed Italy’s Enel SpA — Slovenske Elektrarne’s owner at the time — to resume construction. It was expected to be completed in five years at a cost of about €2.8 billion ($3.2 billion), but the price tag ultimately ballooned to €6.7 billion.

Only America’s Watts Bar nuclear plant in Tennessee took longer to build, with construction lasting 43 years.

Beyond Mochovce, the Slovak government has plans for another reactor at Jaslovske Bohunice in the west of the country, in cooperation with Westinghouse. The project remains at an early stage, with completion not expected until around 2040.

Slovakia is already self-sufficient in electricity production, meaning all new capacity is expected to be exported.

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