From left: Petr Brzezina, president, Westinghouse Czech Republic and Slovakia; Elias Gedeon, senior vice president, Westinghouse commercial operations; Gautam Rana, U.S. ambassador to Slovakia; and Pavol Štuller, chairman of the board and chief executive officer, JAVYS. (Photo: Westinghouse)
Westinghouse Electric Company yesterday announced the signing of two memorandums of understanding with Slovakia’s state-owned nuclear company JAVYS regarding the potential deployment of the U.S. firm’s AP1000 reactors and AP300 small modular reactors.
The agreements, according to the Westinghouse announcement, will “create a framework for the parties to collaborate on detailed technical and developmental plans, while exploring the next steps to implement the reactor technologies in Slovakia.”
Official words: “Slovakia is a country that understands well the benefits of nuclear energy, and we are very excited to be working with the JAVYS team to secure their energy future with our advanced, proven AP1000 and AP300 reactor technologies,” said David Durham, Westinghouse president for energy systems.
JAVYS chairman of the board and chief executive officer Pavol Štuller noted, “We have rich experience with Westinghouse, as we have been collaborating on specific projects related to the decommissioning of nuclear power plants in Jaslovské Bohunice for a long time. In addition, Westinghouse is involved in and contributes to the processes of diversification of fresh nuclear fuel for reactors in Slovakia, thus representing, from our perspective, a company that covers the entire nuclear cycle.”
U.S. ambassador to Slovakia Gautam Rana, who attended the signing, remarked, “The U.S. embassy in Bratislava is pleased that Westinghouse and JAVYS have signed these two memorandums of understanding, building the foundation for closer commercial cooperation between both companies in the civil nuclear energy sector. This represents another milestone in joint efforts by the governments of the United States and the Slovak Republic to achieve energy security and sustainability in Slovakia with a forward-looking focus on world-class technology.”
In case you missed it: In early May, Westinghouse unveiled its AP300 SMR—a 300-MWe, 900-MWth single-loop pressurized water reactor based on the company’s larger AP1000 unit. According to a company press release at the time, the AP300 SMR will utilize the technology of the AP1000, including major equipment, structural components, passive safety systems, fuel, and I&C systems. Westinghouse plans to complete the licensing of the new SMR by 2027, with construction of an initial unit completed by 2033.
Also, earlier this month, the European Union announced the selection of the Westinghouse-led APIS consortium to develop and deliver a fully European nuclear fuel supply for Russian-designed VVER reactors in the EU (and Ukraine), including the VVER-440s at Slovakia’s Bohunice and Mochovce nuclear power plants.
