New nuclear developments in Europe, Asia

Noteworthy news from the international nuclear stage includes recent developments in Europe and Asia. The Mochovce nuclear power plant in Slovakia has reached a milestone, and Poland has projects for reactors large and small in the works.

Meanwhile, Rosatom is making plans for a floating nuclear power plant in Indonesia; the Philippines hosts a nuclear supply chain conference, and testing has begun at Linglong One in China.

Mochovce-4 connects to grid: The new Mochovce-4 has been connected to the power grid and is beginning to generate electricity, Slovakian utility Slovenské Elektrárne has reported. The reactor, a Russian-designed VVER-440, was connected at 20-percent power output on October 15, with eventual total capacity designated as 471 MWe.

Construction of Mochovce-3 and -4 began in 1986, but work on both units stalled in 1992. Unit 3 finally began commercial operation in 2023, and Unit 4 reached criticality in August. According to Slovenské Elektrárne, a second turbine generator must still be synchronized, and a series of tests and checks must be performed at each power level before the output can be increased to 100 percent. Slovakia's five other operating power reactors currently generate more than 60 percent of that nation's electricity.

Polish SMR joint venture PAK BWRX: Warsaw-based reactor project developer SGE has signed an agreement with the Polish energy group ZE PAK to establish the joint venture PAK BWRX S.A. This partnership will focus on developing a nuclear power plant consisting of six of GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy's BWRX-300s located at the site of a retiring coal-fired power plant in Pątnów. The planned reactors would generate approximately 1,800 MW of electricity.

The Pątnów plant is just one of SGE's nuclear development projects in Poland based on BWRX-300 technology and being developed through Polish cooperation with U.S. and Canadian companies.

Lubiatowo-Kopalino AP1000 project: Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) has commissioned Westinghouse to begin ordering long-lead items for the country's planned first nuclear power plant. To be located at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in the Choczewo municipality of Pomerania, the plant is to host three Westinghouse AP1000 reactors.

According to PEJ, six key components for the Lubiatowo-Kopalino nuclear island, including the reactor containment vessel and associated structural modules, are covered by the long-lead items order. The order is being initiated under the existing engineering development agreement between PEJ and the Westinghouse-Bechtel Consortium. The main commercial terms of that engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract were agreed on in September.

Rosatom floating power plants in Indonesia: Russia's Rosatom has signed an agreement with Indonesia's PT Pembangkit Listrik Nuklir to supply electricity via floating nuclear power plants for the northern part of Halmahera Island in North Maluku. Two FPU-100 floating nuclear power units with a combined capacity of 200 MW are to be deployed to the Indonesian island. Rosatom said it expects the units to be generating electricity within five years.

Rosatom and the Indonesian government have been negotiating plans for the deployment of nuclear power in the southeast Asian republic. The Russian company has proposed an initial deployment phase of small-scale floating nuclear power units, to be followed by a second phase of land-based nuclear facilities featuring large reactors. Rosatom intends to own and operate the floating power plants, with the Indonesian government paying for the generated electricity.

Conference in the Philippines: At the World Nuclear Supply Chain Conference in Manila on October 20-an event organized by the World Nuclear Association and the Philippine Department of Energy-Philippine Energy Secretary Sharon Garin described plans to establish policy, regulatory, and commercial foundations for her country's first nuclear power project. These plans envision an initial nuclear capacity of 1.2 GW by 2032, with a long-term capacity target of 4.8 GW by 2050.

The Philippine government is focused on the incorporation of nuclear power into the nation's energy mix as it seeks to strengthen national energy security and reduce dependence on energy imports, Garin said, while meeting growing electricity demands and clean energy goals. She also explained how officials are working to advance the operational readiness of the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority to meet international nuclear safeguards standards.

Also speaking at the conference was the director of the Philippine DOE Energy Utilization Management Bureau, Patrick Aquino, who described activities to prepare an implementable first nuclear project. He said that ongoing work includes assessing candidate sites, completing policy and regulatory arrangements, developing a procurement framework, and establishing commercial conditions to help potential project developers make informed investment decisions.

Linglong One SMR tests begin in China: The China News Service has reported that hot functional tests are underway for the Linglong One ACP100 SMR demonstration project, with the objective of loading fuel into the reactor within the coming year. These tests, being carried out at the Changjiang nuclear power plant on the island province of Hainan, involve increasing the temperature of the reactor coolant system and performing comprehensive evaluations to ensure that coolant circuits and safety systems are operating correctly.

First concrete for the 125-MWe ACP100 project was poured in July 2021, and most recently, cold functional tests were completed in October 2025.