Bratislava: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced Slovakia's agreement with the United States to build an additional nuclear reactor in Slovakia. Fico revealed the multi-billion dollar deal during a speech at an annual nuclear conference in the Slovak capital.
According to Qatar News Agency, the new reactor will be constructed at the existing nuclear plant in Jaslovske Bohunice in western Slovakia. The reactor will have an output exceeding 1,000 megawatts and will be fully state-owned. Although Fico did not disclose further details about the timeline, his government had approved a plan last year to build a 1,200-megawatt nuclear reactor at the site, which currently houses two reactors owned by the Slovak electric utility company, Slovenske Elektrarne.
The project is estimated to cost up to 15 billion euros. Initially, the government planned to find a company to build the new reactor through a public tender. However, it recently announced negotiations for a direct deal with the US company Westinghouse.
Slovakia relies heavily on nuclear energy, generating more than 80% of its electricity from two nuclear plants.