Framatome and Slovak utility Slovenské elektrárne (SE) have signed a contract for the long-term supply of nuclear fuel to the Bohunice and Mochovce VVER reactors from 2027. This follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two companies in May 2023 during the visit to Slovakia of French President Emmanuel Macron.
Cooperation on a long-term solution for fuel diversification for Slovak NPPs was a key focus of the MOU, which outlined future strategy on areas of interest. These include nuclear operations and maintenance, nuclear fuel, safety, instrumentation & control (I&C) and cybersecurity, as well as the feasibility of nuclear medicine and radioisotope production in Slovakia.
Lionel Gaiffe, Senior Executive Vice President, Fuel Business Unit at Framatome said the new contract “marks a new milestone in the longstanding and fruitful cooperation between Framatome and Slovenské elektrárne”. He added: “We are pleased to contribute to the diversification of Slovakia’s fuel supply and to the safe, reliable and uninterrupted operation of the Bohunice and Mochovce nuclear power plants.”
Framatome said the international context has accelerated the need for a European fuel solution to avoid disruption to critical services and reduce dependency on imports from outside of Europe. Utilities do not want to be dependent on a single supplier; diversification is key and is in line with the recommendations of the Euratom Security of Supply Agency (ESA).
“Our nuclear power plants represent an important pillar in our country’s energy mix, therefore I consider it to be crucial to secure nuclear fuel supply diversification for their stable operation,” said SE Board Chairman and General Director Branislav Strýček.
Slovakia currently has five VVER-440 nuclear reactors – three at Mochovce and two at Bohunice – generating half of its electricity, with one more unit at Mochovce under construction. SE’s strategy is to have at least two alternative nuclear fuel suppliers and potential suppliers of materials and services across the nuclear fuel production supply chain. Previously fuel was supplied by Russia’s TVEL. In August 2023, SE signed a long-term agreement with Westinghouse for the licensing and supply of VVER-440 fuel assemblies.
Framatome said that, in the short term, it will fabricate fuel identical to the proven design currently used by the European VVER reactors. In parallel, the company is developing and qualifying European sovereign fuels of its own design for Russian-design VVER 440 and 1000 reactors.
In June, the European Union (EU) launched a new initiative to accelerate the development and delivery of European fuel for the VVER pressurised water reactors operating in Europe. Framatome is leading the initiative – the Safe & Alternative VVER European Fuel (SAVE) project – which is funded under the Euratom Research & Training Programme.
It will run from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2028 with an overall budget of €18.68m ($20.2m) including a EU contribution of around €10m. The aim of SAVE project “is to strengthen VVER fuel security of supply in Europe and Ukraine by qualifying a reliable and safer sovereign VVER-440 fuel design, by developing a fast-track licensing path and improving European capabilities for VVER-440 fuel design qualification”.
In addition, Westinghouse Electric Sweden has been leading the Accelerated Programme for Implementation of Secure VVER Fuel Supply (APIS), which was launched in January 2023. The following July the EU selected a consortium led by Westinghouse to develop and deliver a secure, fully European nuclear fuel supply for Russian-designed VVERs. The three-year APIS project is co-funded by the EU, using €10m from the Euratom Work Programme 2023-2025. APIS, part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme for research & innovation, involves 12 partners from eight countries.
Currently 19 VVER reactors are operating in Europe, including four VVER 1,000 MW reactors in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, and 15 VVER 440 MW reactors in the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary and Slovakia.
