Link to the study - European Parliament - Europa

Policy Department D: Budgetary Affairs
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Which experiences were made with financial risks (What were the reasons for serious
underestimates in the past? What influences your cost structure mostly (personnel costs,
external cost factors, etc.)?
In all performed cost estimations, main risk factors were considered those that were applicable
according to the methodology chosen for the given cost estimate.
However, all knowledge gathered from our discussions at international forums or publications issued
by IAEA, OECD-NEA or EC were reflected.
Thus, JAVYS was able to avoid any significant systematic underestimates. The main identified reason
for increase in cost estimation throughout the time is general continuous improvement of costing
methodologies through their deeper specification, based on the world-wide increase of
understanding the decommissioning needs and definition.
This is why the first cost estimate was prepared by Energiewerke Nord – a German company known
for its decommissioning experience and it provided a basic general comparison between assessed
decommissioning options, necessary for responsible selection of one.
Current cost estimate has been calculated based on most recent International Structure of
Decommissioning Costing, jointly issued by IAEA, OECD-NEA and EC and the calculated costs for both
units of V1 NPP are well in limits set by different calculations ('EON and RWE estimate individual
projects may cost as much as 750 million euros to 1 billion euros' per unit (Nicola 2013)), or direct
experience (e.g. NPP Greifswald).
Another general factor raising the overall decommissioning cost estimate is also the fact that JAVYS
decommissions only two VVER type reactors, which are both included in one decommissioning
project (V1 NPP). This is the result of basic economic rule – doing a one-time only work is more
expensive if compared to large scale industrial approach.
The main factor causing not an underestimation of a cost estimate, but a system failure to gather
sufficient future decommissioning financing was premature shut down of V1 NPP. This decision lead
to shortage of planned decommissioning resources accumulated in the National nuclear fund at the
moment of V1 NPP shut down.
After necessary system’s adjustments on national and international level, the decommissioning
financing is now secured through:
1) Existing Slovak resources:
- National Nuclear Fund
- JAVYS’ own resources
2) BIDSF fund, established as solidary fund of EU in respect of remediation for its previous
requirement for shut down of V1 NPP,
3) Systematic approach of Slovak legislation imposing a special levy on price of electricity sold in
Slovakia (EUR 3 per 1 MWh) that is being collected from all end-users since 2011 to make up for
shortage in decommissioning funding due to premature shutdown.
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