Russia is interested in the construction of a new nuclear source of energy on the site of the V1 Jaslovske Bohunice power plant, which is now being decommissioned, announced Prime Minister Robert Fico. "Who is going to erect the new source of energy will be decided in an international tender on the basis of given criteria," he said, after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr. Fico thinks that the Russian firm Atomstrojexport could apply in the international tender, a company that has already built nuclear power plants in Slovakia in the past.
Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek announced this March that Slovakia would launch the construction of a new nuclear power plant in 2009 or 2010, while the tender could start as soon as 2008. Spokesperson of the prime minister, Silvia Glendova, stated that the government has received seven to ten bids for the construction of the nuclear power plant in Jaslovske Bohunice.
The German company E.ON officially declared its interest in building a new power generation facility. After the meeting with the E.ON chairman of the board of directors, Johannes Teysseon, in March, Mr. Fico referred to the German company E.ON as "a hot candidate for this project." The Italian company Enel, which holds a 66 percent stake in the Slovak dominant power utility Slovenske Elektrarne, (SE), and the CEZ group also showed interest in the construction. Finally, representatives of the U.S. administration and corporate sector have shown interest in the possibilities of doing business in the energy sector in Slovakia, and in the situation related to construction of nuclear power plants and other resources, too.
Slovakia's energy strategy, with outlook up to 2030, will show the possibilities of building a new nuclear power plant in Slovakia, reported the Economy Ministry. "When, how and who will build the new nuclear power plant in Slovakia will be decided when the paper on Slovakia's energy strategy is finished," said Economy Ministry spokesperson Branislav Zvara last week. The Economy Ministry plans to draw up its energy strategy by the end of June of this year. It should be implemented by the end of this year.
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