Slovakia has extended a contract for the supply of nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants with Russia. The country’s leaders also want to obtain new exemptions from sanctions in the EU and continue importing Russian oil.
Slovak Power Plants will expand the import of Russian nuclear fuel for the country’s two nuclear power plants for another four years, until 2030. This was stated by the country’s Minister of Economy. Denis Sakováreports Dennik N.
According to the head of the Slovak Ministry of Economy, the company took the opportunity to receive nuclear fuel from the Russian company TVEL, which will last another six years.
“The CEO assured me that we have fuel reserves for the next two and a half years, directly in Slovakia. “And they also took advantage of the supplier’s option that they would have enough nuclear fuel until 2030.” – said Denisa Sakova.
In Slovakia there are two nuclear power plants: in Mochovce and Bohunice. Its total capacity is 2.4 GW. The nuclear power plant operates Soviet VVER-440 reactors.
Slovakia also has a continuous supply of Russian oil. To do this, the country needs to obtain an extension of the exceptions to the sanctions with which the EU banned the import of raw materials from Russia.
The extension of the exemption for the import of Russian oil, which, among other things, represents an important import for the national oil refinery Slovnaft, should be discussed within the European Commission, said the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs. Slovakia Juraj Blanar after negotiations with his colleague from Hungary, Peter Szijjarto.
“We talk about energy security. This is absolutely fundamental for us and we talk about it very openly: the Russian Federation is a reliable partner for us. We have never had any problems with the Russian Federation failing to fulfill its contracts and supplies. Whether nuclear fuel, gas or oil. Therefore, it is quite natural that participation in certain types of activities, in which we buy products from other countries that are four or five times more expensive, is almost unacceptable for the economies of Hungary and Slovakia.” – said Juraj Blanar, reports Slovakian Aktuality.
The minister warned that without Russian oil, the Slovnaft refinery would suffer serious disruption. 10% of diesel fuel consumption in Ukraine comes from Slovakia and is also supplied to the Czech Republic, the minister recalled.
In the summer, Ukraine imposed sanctions on Russia’s Lukoil and ceased its supplies through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia. The companies found a temporary solution, but kyiv refused to discuss sanctions and Brussels supported the kyiv regime’s position. As a result, the Hungarian MOL, which also owns the Slovak refinery, now officially receives Lukoil oil on the Belarus-Ukraine border, and its oil already flows through Ukraine, which has become an option to bypass the sanctions.
