Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant

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Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant
Mochovce Nuclear Power Plants from the main road between Nitra and Levice
Mochovce Nuclear Power Plants from the main road between Nitra and Levice
Data
Country Slovakia
Owner Slovenské elektrárne a.s.
Operator Electrostation Mochovce
Built October 1, 1983
Start of commercial operation October 29, 1998
Reactors
Reactors active 2 (880 MW)
Power
Total power generation in 2006 5,847 GWh
Average annual generation (last 5 yrs) 5,563 GWh
Net generation 41,582 GWh
Other details
As of July 22, 2007

The Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant (Slovak: Atómové elektrárne Mochovce, abbr. EMO) is a nuclear power plant with 2 operating reactors and two reactors under construction that had been stalled for over a decade in southern Slovakia, between the towns of Nitra and Levice, in the place of the former village, Mochovce. It is located around 15 km northwest of Levice. Generating 3,000 GWh of electricity a year, the power plant currently covers approximately 10% of Slovakia's energy needs.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

Construction of a new power plant with four Soviet-era VVER 440/213 pressurized water reactors was proposed in the 1970s. The Czechoslovak government initiated a geological survey, as the land had to be seismically stable. After taking into account all factors, the site on the place of the village of Mochovce was chosen. The preparation work started on June 1981 and the construction itself on November 1982, with the first two units, Mochovce-1 and Mochovce-2. Construction of the remaining two units, Mochovce-3 and Mochovce-4, began in 1985. However, construction was halted in 1991 due to the lack of funds. In 1995, the Slovak government approved the plan to finish the first two units, with new Western safety technology implemented. The units were commissioned on 4 July 1998 and 20 December 1999, respectively. The commissioning of the plant has sparked protests in Austria, the neighboring country strongly opposed to the use of nuclear energy in general. The units 3 and 4 are planned to be completed in 2012.[2] Two completed reactors in Mochovce use enriched uranium as their fuel.

[edit] Safety

Although the original power plant design featured some safety improvements (such as seismically resistant attachment of technological equipment), it did not reflect the state of knowledge during the final phase of construction in the 1990s anymore. Therefore, the German company Siemens supplied a new system and new Western safety measures were implemented. In the 1990s, the power plant became the first Soviet-era nuclear plant in Eastern Europe to reach safety standards comparable to Western ones, according to the operator.[3]

[edit] Technical data

Station Reactor type Net capacity Commissioned Grid date Exp. shutdown
Mochovce 1 VVER 440/213 440 MWe 4 July 1998 29 October 1998 2028
Mochovce 2 VVER 440/213 440 MWe 20 December 1999 11 April 2000 2030
Mochovce 3 VVER 440/213 440 MWe not completed - -
Mochovce 4 VVER 440/213 440 MWe not completed - -

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 48°15′50″N, 18°27′25″E