The project of the new nuclear power plant (NJZ) planned in the Jaslovské Bohunice location has entered the next phase. Jadrová energetická spoločnosti Slovenska, a.s. (JESS) submitted to the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic a report on the assessment of the effects of the proposed activity on the environment. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) process was started in 2013. It is expected to end at the end of the first quarter of 2016. The process is governed by Act no. 24/2006 Coll., on environmental impact assessment, as amended, which ensures full compatibility with EU law and international conventions to which the Slovak Republic is bound. The project is being prepared in accordance with Government Resolution No. 948/2008, the Energy Policy of the SR 2014 and the Spatial Plan of the Region of the Higher Territorial Unit of the Trnava Self-Governing Region 2014.
The project of preparing a new nuclear source is a project that cannot be compared with any of the existing projects. Work on the EIA process is a demanding and extensive activity that requires the involvement of experts from many fields. The report deals in detail with the evaluation of all direct and indirect impacts of NJZ on the environment. The report is not a safety documentation according to the atomic law, it does not address social, political and economic aspects, nor is it a decision on the implementation and location of a new resource.
The starting point for assessing the impact of the new nuclear power project on the environment was the definition of its basic parameters. The proposed activity is the construction of 1 block with a PWR – Pressurized Water Reactor, generation III+ with a net electrical output of up to 1700 MWe. It is currently the best technology available, with a range of security benefits.
The submitted Report evaluates in detail the number of impacts of the planned NJZ project by comparing the current state and evaluating the expected impacts. The Report contains a detailed evaluation of the impact of the project, including ionizing radiation, on air, climate, noise, surface and underground water, fauna, flora, ecosystems and other components of the environment. Special attention is also paid to the issue of impacts on the population and public health.
The expected effects of the proposed activity on the environment are generally insignificant and generally acceptable in all evaluated areas. Potentially negative impacts, including considering the combined effect of already existing activities on the territory, are acceptable in all areas and far below the limits of permissible or acceptable values. The proposed activity takes into account the location within the locality of Jaslovské Bohunice, in which several nuclear facilities have been operated for a long time. Thus, the company does not enter a new, untouched territory with the proposed activity, nor does it try to introduce a new activity into the current territory, which would be significantly different in character from the existing activities in the affected territory.
Following the publication of the Report, a public discussion of the proposed activity will take place at the level of the affected municipalities. The overall completion of the EIA process and the issuance of the final opinion by the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic is expected in the first quarter of 2016. The completion of the EIA process does not mean a decision on the implementation of the project, but it represents an important milestone and will enable continuation to the next stage of the project.
Jadrová energetická spoločnosť Slovenska, a. s.
Jadrová energetická spoločnosť Slovenska, a. s., was established on 31 December 2009 by registration in the Commercial Register. The establishment of the company was approved by the Government of the Slovak Republic at its meeting on 9 December 2009. The establishment of the Nuclear Energy Company of Slovakia opened the way for the implementation of one of the most important projects in the history of Slovakia, the project of construction of a new nuclear power plant in Jaslovské Bohunice. JAVYS holds 51% of the shares in the joint venture, while the Czech partner in the project – CEZ Group – owns 49% of the shares. The share capital of JESS was set at EUR 216 357 000 (SKK 6.52 billion). The management control of the company operates on the principle of equality and consensus of both partners. The establishment of the Nuclear Energy Company of Slovakia was also approved by the European Commission in November 2009.