Bohunice International Decommissioning Support Fund

The Slovak Republic gained independence in 1993 and sought European Union membership. During negotiations, the government committed to closing two reactors at the Bohunice V1 Nuclear Power Plant in Jaslovské Bohunice, citing safety concerns identified by experts from the Western European Nuclear Regulatory Association. Units 1 and 2 were shut down in 2006 and 2008 respectively.

To aid in decommissioning, the EBRD established the Bohunice International Decommissioning Support Fund (BIDSF with the support of European Commission and eight European governments. A framework agreement between the EBRD and the Slovak Republic, ratified on November 16, 2001, provided the legal basis for the fund's operations at Bohunice.

As of end-2023, the fund has received over €658 million from Austria, Denmark, the European Union, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. An additional donation was received from Ireland. Decommissioning has progressed well and is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

The BIDSF finances selected projects for two main purposes:

1. Supporting safe and cost-effective decommissioning of units 1 and 2.
2. Introducing measures in the Slovak energy sector to mitigate the impact of closures and enhance energy efficiency.
    

Decommissioning projects have included:

• Developing decommissioning strategies and plans, obtaining necessary licenses, and establishing physical protection systems.
• Building infrastructure for handling, transporting, and disposing of nuclear waste.
• Funding decontamination and dismantling works, including cooling tower demolition and dismantling of primary cooling circuit components.
• Compensating for heating and steam supply loss by reconstructing auxiliary boiler stations.

In the energy sector, BIDSF projects have focused on:

• Analysing energy sector status post-closure to guide decision-making.
• Improving energy efficiency in public buildings and supporting loan-financed energy efficiency measures.
• Ensuring safe and reliable electricity supply post-closure by co-financing network modifications.

Since 2015, BIDSF has ceased financing new energy sector projects.