€100 million decommissioning project ‘sets benchmark’, says European Commission
Two Russia-designed VVER-440 pressurised water reactor (PWR) units and their supporting systems have been successfully removed and dismantled at the Bohunice nuclear power station in Slovakia, bringing a major nuclear decommissioning project to an end.
A consortium led by US-based Westinghouse and including Slovak engineering firm Vuje delivered the project with a budget of more than €100m ($85m), ensuring the safe management of steam generators, main circulation pumps, pressurisers and reactor pressure vessel internals, which form the reactor coolant system at Bohunice.
The work included dismantling of 6,700 tonnes of radioactive and contaminated structures. This involved using advanced techniques such as dry and wet cutting, and robotic decontamination systems and custom-built equipment.
The consortium also processed 3,800 tonnes of obsolete non-radioactive materials. Another 479 tonnes of secondary radioactive waste were processed.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said the project was a significant achievement for the Bohunice International Decommissioning Support Fund – which is financed by the European Union and other donors and managed by the EBRD.
Massimo Garribba, the European Commission’s deputy director-general for energy, said: “By completing this decommissioning activity at the Bohunice nuclear power plant, we have set a benchmark for other decommissioning projects.”
The two decommissioned units are Bohunice-1 and Bohunice-2, both of which had a net capacity of 408 MW. Bohunice-1 began commercial operation in 1980 and was shut down in 2006. Bohunice-2 began commercial operation in 1981 and was shut down in 2008.
Bohunice also has two operational Russia-designed VVER-440 pressurised water reactor units, both with a net capacity of 466 MW.
Slovakia’s other nuclear station is Mochovce, which has three operational plants and one, supplied by Russia, under construction.
In 2024, the Slovak government approved plans to develop a new unit at Bohunice with a capacity of around 1,200 MW and a target operational date of 2040.
