President: Slovakia Becoming Powerhouse in Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy

Bratislava, 19 October (TASR) - Slovakia is definitively becoming a nuclear powerhouse in terms of the peaceful use of nuclear energy, President Peter Pellegrini said at a ceremony marking the commissioning of the fourth unit of the Mochovce nuclear power plant on Monday, adding that, in his opinion, Slovakia has even overtaken France, the long-standing leader for decades. "Slovakia ranks first globally when it comes to the percentage of electricity generated from nuclear power. We have the cleanest energy mix in Europe in terms of carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation," said Pellegrini. "Thank God, Slovakia is self-sufficient in electricity generation, becoming even a net exporter, which is also good news for our neighbours or surrounding countries that may need a stable source of electricity if they face shortages," added Pellegrini. According to him, electromobility, modern technologies and artificial intelligence will need vast amounts of electricity. "Slovakia holds a huge advantage in that it opted for nuclear energy in the past, because regardless of whether the sun is shining or the wind is blowing - as other countries must constantly monitor - we generate stable electricity 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. This gives Slovakia a massive competitive edge to attract highly sophisticated investments that require vast amounts of clean, but above all, stable electricity," stressed Pellegrini. "Today's launch of the fourth unit has shown how important it is for politicians to think like statesmen, rather than just looking one or two electoral terms ahead, as they must be capable of making decisions, the success of which will mostly be harvested by the next prime minister," said Pellegrini, adding that if Slovakia wants to remain number one and maintain its strategic position, it must not "rest on its laurels". The fourth unit of the Mochovce nuclear power plant is supplying its first megawatt-hours of electricity after being connected to the grid on 15 October, thus making Slovakia self-sufficient in electricity generation, power utility Slovenske Elektrarne (SE) general director Branislav Strycek told a news conference in Mochovce (Nitra region) on Monday. jrg