Slovak utility Slovenske Elektrarne has started fuel loading at the fourth unit of the Mochovce nuclear power plant, nearing the start of production after nearly four decades of construction, the company said on Monday.
The 471-megawatt unit will be the last to come online at the country's second nuclear plant following the grid connection of the third unit in 2023. The fourth unit was planned for completion in 2013 when the project was last restarted in 2008.
Its start-up will mean Slovakia has the highest share of nuclear energy in its national power mix in Europe.
Slovenske, majority owned by Czech investor Daniel Kretinsky's EPH, said nuclear power would cover 77.5% of the country's demand, ahead in percentage terms of European leader France.
The completion comes as global interest in nuclear power rises amid a drive to cut carbon emissions and ramp up output to meet the demand of more electrified economies, including the surging needs of data centres.
The fourth Mochovce unit will supply 13% of Slovakia's electricity demand and will solidify the country's position as a net electricity exporter, CEO Branislav Strycek told a news conference shown live.
The fuel loading will be followed by a series of tests before the reactor and turbine start supplying fuel to the power grid, officials said.
The unit should reach full capacity by the end of this year, Strycek said.
Like other nuclear power projects in Europe, completion of Mochovce, started in the 1980s based on a Soviet reactor design, had run into a series of delays and cost overruns.
Fico said the government was interested in increasing its 34% stake in Slovenske Elektrarne in a window for talks with the majority owner following the commissioning of the final unit at Mochovce.
The government is separately planning building a larger, 1,200-MW power plant under state leadership.