Slovakia’s likely future coalition wants to build a new nuclear reactor

Almost all political parties that have a chance at being in Slovakia’s government after the snap election on 30 September wish to build a new nuclear power reactor, a new analysis reads.

As Slovakia’s election approaches, a new poll has found that eight out of nine parties currently above the threshold for a seat in parliament favour increased investment in nuclear energy, with runner-up Progressive Slovakia not opposing private investment in the area.

“If a private investor assesses that it wants to build a new nuclear source, it can do so from its own resources after meeting adequate regulatory and safety criteria. The state should not finance new sources but regulate their construction appropriately,” Ivan Štefunko, vice-chairman of Progressive Slovakia, told Euractiv Slovakia.

Slovakia depends heavily on Russia as its nuclear power plants, which account for about 60% of the country’s electricity generation, exclusively use Russian nuclear fuel.

Still, this may gradually change, as efforts are being made to reduce this dependence through an agreement with US company Westinghouse.

Despite ongoing debates across Europe about the environmental impact of nuclear power, Slovakia has long supported the French-led ‘nuclear alliance’.

The political parties vying to be in government suggest that they will not work towards changing Slovakia’s position on the matter, emphasising the country’s commitment to nuclear power as a key component of its energy strategy.

Moreover, the amount of natural gas used in Slovakia is not expected to change significantly. None of the parties plan to reduce dependence on Russian supplies, with the exception of Progressive Slovakia, which publicly speaks of an urgent need to reduce Slovakia’s dependence on natural gas.

This is particularly challenging in Slovakia, which is the second most gas-dependent country in Europe, making its energy transition complex and time-consuming.

However, all political parties agree on the need to regulate energy costs.

Each party’s manifesto promises to introduce price controls and protect citizens from energy-related financial hardship, although their specific approaches to achieving these goals differ.

(Barbara Zmušková, Irena Jenčová, Karol Slovík | Euractiv.sk)