Both Mochovce and Jaslovske Bohunice NPPs Have Sufficient Water to Operate

Mochovce/Jaslovske Bohunice, 29 July (TASR) - The nuclear power plants (NPPs) in Mochovce (Nitra region) and Jaslovske Bohunice (Trnava region) have sufficient water to operate even during the heatwave, spokesperson for power utility Slovenske elektrarne (SE) Lenka Sarlakova told TASR on Wednesday. The water source for Mochovce is the Velke Kozmalovce waterworks on the Hron River, and Jaslovske Bohunice is supplied from the Slnava reservoir on the Vah River. Slovenske elektrarne reports that there is enough water for all the nuclear units to operate, and it hasn't yet recorded any reduction in output caused by a shortage of water. In some European countries, operators are restricting the outputs of nuclear power stations due to water shortages. One nuclear unit in Romania had to be shut down as a precautionary measure due to record-low water levels in the Danube, while in France three reactors were shut down due to high temperatures. Slovak nuclear power stations continue to operate without restrictions. Several European nuclear power stations use what is known as 'through-flow cooling' in which water is returned to the river after use. When water levels are low or water temperatures are high, operators must therefore reduce output or shut down units on a temporary basis in order to comply with safety and environmental limits. The Slovak nuclear power stations at Mochovce and Jaslovske Bohunice use a different system. Cooling is provided by cooling towers, in which water is cooled through evaporation. The heated water is not returned directly to the rivers, therefore. This significantly reduces dependence on current water temperatures and river flows. am/df