On Monday afternoon, 12 September, Slovenské elektrárne completed the first fuel loading of Unit 3 of the Mochovce nuclear power plant.
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The process started with the loading of the first fuel assembly at 01:15 a.m. on Friday, 9 September, making Unit 3 officially a nuclear facility.
Each fuel loading is carried out according to a pre-prepared and approved programme, detailing which fuel assemblies will be placed in which positions in the reactor.
There are 312 positions for fuel assemblies in the reactor and 37 positions for control assemblies with absorber. The introduction of the fuel into the reactor is only the beginning of the start-up process.
Inspection of the loaded assemblies is carried out by inspectors of the Slovak Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ÚJD SR), together with experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who are present in the reactor hall of Unit 3.
After the inspection, Slovenské elektrárne, a.s. can proceed to the next start-up activities – the next milestones are the reactor assembly, pre-critical tests, reaching criticality and physical tests. All these steps are part of the so-called physical startup, which takes about six weeks.
In the next phase of the energy startup, the reactor power is gradually increased and a number of tests are carried out. Even situations that the plant will never experience during its operation. The power level is gradually increased to 100% of the reactor output.
As the thermal output of the reactor increases, so does the amount of steam that spins the turbines in the power plant. Only in this second commissioning phase, the first megawatt hours from the new Mochovce 3 unit will reach the Slovak electricity grid and the electricity produced free of carbon dioxide emissions will light up the households and factories in Slovakia.
The commissioning is finished by a 144-hour trial run of Mochovce Unit 3 at its full power.
Slovakia will thus become energy self-sufficient in terms of electricity production as early as 2023. The operating life of the new unit is planned to be at least 60 years. ■
Under an intense surge of arctic air, Friday morning will begin with the coldest temperatures so far this season across much of the central and eastern U.S. with blustery conditions and a piercing wind chill.