EU again attempts to sanction Russian nuclear fuel but Hungary joined by Slovakia to block them

By Rhod Mackenzie

The European Union persists in attempting to introduce sanctions against Rosatom and the Russian supply of  nuclear fuel. They previously tried to implement  sanctions against them during the tenth package of sanctions, and now there is discussion concerning the 12th package. In light of this, who will benefit or who will suffer from these sanctions, and what probability exists for Europe to ultimately prevail?

Slovakia will object to the incorporation of nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants in the 12th package of anti-Russian sanctions of the European Union. This constitutes a red line, as stated by the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic, Juraj Blanar from the largest party in the government coalition “Direction – Social Democracy”. This is due to Slovak nuclear power plants lacking the ability to convert to an alternative fuel from Russian nuclear fuel.

The Slovak Foreign Ministry’s head is confident that the European Union will consider Slovakia’s viewpoint. In the event that the new sanctions package includes Russian nuclear fuel, Bratislava intends to exercise its veto power and oppose this provision.

The republic is home to two nuclear power plants: Bohunice which is situated in the western part of the country and Mochovce which is located in the central part. The stations were constructed with the involvement of experts from the Soviet Union and Russia. Nuclear power plants generate over half of the electricity in Slovakia, with Rosatom supplying fuel for these plants.

The situation is comparable in Hungary. During the last implementation of the 10th sanctions package, Hungary expressed its opposition to such restrictions. Prime Minister of the Republic Viktor Orban stated that Hungary will veto any anti-Russian EU sanctions concerning nuclear energy.

It raises the question: why are certain European countries seeking to impose these sanctions while others are unwilling to do so under any circumstance?

In the past, the Czech Republic, Finland, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia have maintained strong connections with Rosatom. In those nations, nuclear power stations were established during the Soviet era, featuring VVER-440 reactors of the original model. As a result, six VVER-440 nuclear units are still functioning in the Czech Republic, while Hungary and Slovakia each operate four VVER-440 units. Bulgaria has two comparable power units in operation. It is noteworthy that all of these power units are completely fuelled with Russian fuel. In Finland, Russian nuclear fuel accounts for 36% of the market.

The Rosatom Fuel Company TVEL holds the exclusive license to supply nuclear fuel for VVER-440 worldwide.

According to the Institute of Energy and Finance, in recent years, Rosatom has received  $300-$400 million annually from the sale of nuclear fuel to EU countries, which accounts for 40% of its revenue from fuel sales in general. Russian nuclear fuel represented 25-28% of all European nuclear fuel imports.

Nonetheless, only Hungary and now Slovakia are against the sanctions. Why are other countries quiet?

This is owing to each country’s preference in terms of developing its own nuclear energy.” Slovakia and Hungary utilise reactors of Soviet and Russian design and have stated their intentions to continue to do so. Hungary specifically plans to construct new VVER-1200 reactors to replace the outdated ones at the Paks nuclear power plant, which is the oldest of its kind and requires earlier replacement. It is probable that Slovakia will follow the same approach when determining the future of their nuclear energy development. “The decision will favour Russian Rosatom,” said Alexey Anpilogov, the President of the Fund for Support of Scientific Research and Development of Civil Initiatives “Osnovanie,” and an expert in nuclear energy.
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EU again attempts to sanction Russian nuclear fuel but Hungary joined by Slovakia to block them

By Rhod Mackenzie The European Union persists in attempting to introduce sanctions against Rosatom and the Russian supply of nuclear fuel. They previously…