Environment

Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant

Peter Fabian

History of the company 1970s – a power plant consisting of four Soviet pressurized water reactors was

proposed. The Czechoslovak government began with a geological survey to find a suitable seismically stable site. (village of Mochovce was chosen)

1981 - Preparatory work started 1982 - construction on the first two units was commenced by Škoda 1985 - the construction of the remaining two units, Mochovce-3 and

Mochovce-4 1991 - Construction had to be halted due to unavailability of funds 1995 - the Slovak state government approved the plan to complete the first

two units. 1998, 1999 - The first two units were commissioned. These two units have

been significantly upgraded with assistance from Western companies 2008 - Construction of Units 3 and 4 restarted and is planned to be completed

in 2012 and 2013 (€2775 million has been allocated to the completion project)

History of the company• The VVER 440/V-213 reactors were designed and developed in the

Soviet Union. The German company Siemens supplied a new control system, and Western and EU safety measures were implemented during the final phases of construction

• Mochovce NPP claims to be the first Soviet-sourced nuclear plant in Eastern Europe to meet the safety standards of Western nuclear power plants

• Owner and operator of the NPP are Slovenské elektrárne a state-owned company

• In April 2006 Italian utility ENEL bought 66% of the shares in the Slovak energy utility Slovenské elektrárne during privatisation

(for €840 million)

Characteristics • The power plant is equipped with four VVER-440/V-213

reactors. • All the units are water cooled and water moderated energy

reactors.• The reactors in Mochovce use enriched uranium as their fuel.• The first two operational units of the plant generate

6,000GWh of electricity, which fulfils about 20% of the state's energy

• The four reactors will serve about 45% of the state's electricity demand, once operational.

• Slovakia is the 2nd most nuclear dependent country in the world after France (according to the World Nuclear Association)

Regular environmental impact studies of the Mochovce NPP

• Mochovce NPP, like any other nuclear power plant, emits small quantities of radioactive effluents, both gaseous and liquid (water required for cooling is taken from a water dam built on the Hron River)

• Emissions to the atmosphere and effluents to the hydrosphere are regularly measured and assessed in the 20-km area around the plant.

• There are 25 monitoring stations of the tele-dosimetry system, which continuously monitor the dose rate of gamma radiation, activity of aerosols and radioactive iodine in the air, soil, water and food chain (feed, milk, agricultural products).

• The volume of radioactive substances contained in liquid and gaseous discharges is considerably lower than the limits set out by authorities.

Regular environmental impact studies of the Mochovce NPP

• The likely effects on water are related to heat release. The liquid effluent released to the river Hron is regularly monitored to verify that its temperature complies with the regulatory limit.

• The amount of radioactivity emitted during normal operation of nuclear power plants is small compared to the radiation background which naturally exists in the environment.

• Electricity produced by NPPs leads to a significant reduction of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, hence contributing to the EU’s commitment to reduce CO2 emissions by 20 % by 2020.

NPP are not environmentally acceptable• Long-term exposure to low level radiation has been shown to damage DNA. Various scientific studies have shown an increased rate of cancer among

people who live near nuclear power plants.

• Nuclear power plants may not emit carbon dioxide during operation, BUT high amounts of carbon dioxide are emitted in activities related to building and running the plants. Nuclear

power plants use uranium as fuel. The process of mining uranium releases high amounts of carbon dioxide into the environment.

• Radioactive waste Waste from nuclear power plants can remain active for hundreds of thousands of years. Much of the

radioactive waste from nuclear power plants has been stored at the power plant

• water vapor, from cooling towers generally increases the temperature of the surrounding environment,

If a nuclear power plant accident occurs, the environment and surrounding people could be exposed to high levels of radiation. No protection against plane crashes: For Mochovce 3 and 4 only the crash of small planes is assessed. There is no justification about why the crash of big planes shall not happen

Opponents of nuclear energy• Mochovce has two units in operation at the moment, with

another two set to be complete by 2013, this angers:

• GreenpeaceAnti-nuclear activists from Greenpeace Slovensko failed with

their lawsuit against Slovakia’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority this year. However Aarhus Committee, (based on the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters), decided in its favour and confirmed that Slovakia breached the rights of the public when it approved the construction of the third and fourth units of the Mochovce nuclear power plant without inviting public to the permitting process

Opponents of nuclear energy•  Austria • For years, Austrian politicians have been protesting against

Slovak, Czech and Hungarian nuclear power plants arguing they are not safe enough

• Austria wants construction of nuclear power plants in Mochovce and Temelín, Czech Republic, to be halted.

• The lawsuit is not likely to succeed, though, as the European Court of justice already made it clear two years ago that no country is entitled to request the closure of a nuclear power plant in another member state

• The lawsuits are part of an Austrian action plan against nuclear power which was passed 12 days after the earthquake in Japan. 

Conclusion

Things can be said for and against Mochovce powerplant. However, one thing is for sure - there are many other options for more safe and environmentally friendly energy production. (solar, wind and geothermal energy)

Thank you for your attention

Sources

• http://www.power-technology.com/projects/mochovce-nuclear-power-plant-nitra-slovakia/

• http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf91.html• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mochovce_Nuclear_Power_Plant• http://www.seas.sk/_img/SEAS/SE%20Documents/Spolocnost/EIA_EMO34/ES

_EIA_MO34_EN-new.pdf• http://www.seas.sk/en/power-plants/projects/mochovce-3-4/eia• http://www.seas.sk/_img/SEAS/SE%20Documents/Publik%C3%A1cie/

Brozury_zavodov/Mochovce_BasicFacts_EN.pdf• http://europeangreens.eu/content/resolution-mochovce-3-4• http://www.thedaily.cz/austria-wants-to-close-slovak-and-czech-nuclear-

plants/• http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4566966_nuclear-energy-affect-

environment.html• http://spectator.sme.sk/articles/view/46356/10/

court_dismisses_greenpeace_lawsuit_over_the_mochovce_nuclear_power_plant.html