US nuclear company Westinghouse Electric Company has launched a front-end engineering and design (Feed) study for one advanced AP1000 reactor at the Bohunice nuclear power station site in Slovakia.

The work, funded in part by a grant from the US Department of State, is being conducted for Jadrová energetická spoločnosť Slovenska (Jess), a wholly owned subsidiary of state-owned Jadrová a vyraďovacia spoločnosť (Javys), which is responsible for developing a planned new nuclear plant in Slovakia.

This six-month study will advance engineering, licensing and project planning activities for the Bohunice project. Westinghouse said the Feed study represents a significant step forward in the country’s ambitious strategy to reduce its reliance on foreign energy sources to gain energy independence.