Unit 3 of Slovakia’s Mohovce nuclear plant has been connected to the grid via a new transmission line, power company Slovenské Elektrárne (SE) said on 12 February. The connection serves as the main power source for the building and the commissioning of the unit and will supply electricity to the transmission system of Slovakia. "We have achieved another milestone towards the launch of the Mohovce NPP, said Francisco José Morejón Verdu , Project Director unit 3 and 4. “The next step is to complete the cold tests and to start pre-operational hot performance tests.” The new 400 kV transmission line will serve as the primary power supply for the final stages of the unit’s construction and its commissioning. A 110 kV backup line is already in operation. Fuel-loading at Mohovce 3 is scheduled for July.
According to the latest schedule, Mohovce 3 should begin operation in late 2018 followed by Mohovce 4 in late 2019 after a series of delays and rescheduling At the end of 2017 unit 3 was 96.1% complete and unit 4 84.5% complete.
Mohovce NPP currently operates two VVER-440 units (1 and 2) with two more nearing completion. SE began the construction of two 471MWe VVER-440 reactor units at Mochovce in November 2008 with completion then scheduled for 2012 and 2013 at an estimated cost of €2.8bn. The latest budget for completion is €5.4bn. Mohovce NPP, operated by SE, is owned by Italy's Enel (33%), Czech group EPH (33%), and the Slovak state (34%). Enel signed a deal with EPH to sell its 66% stake in SE in two stages, 33% initially and the rest after the Mochovce expansion is completed. EPH will eventually sell 17% of its stake in SE to the government.
Photo: Power lines at Mohovce (Credit: Slovenské elektrárne)
