Slovakia has secured enough gas to keep its Soviet-era nuclear reactor shut for "the next 24 hours," a minister said Wednesday, after threats to reactivate due to the gas crisis.
"In the next 24 hours, we won't relaunch the closed unit at Jaslovske Bohunice as we have guarantees this step is not neccessary," Deputy Economy Minister Peter Ziga told a news conference.
"The biggest gas company SPP managed to get an additional two million cubic metres of gas from its foreign shareholders E.ON Ruhrgas and GDF Suez, one million cubic metres from each," he said.
"Thanks to these additional sources we can provide deliveries to households for 18 more days from now," said Ziga, adding that consumption by companies would still be restricted to a "safety minimum."
"At the moment, we can guarantee a safe regime until the end of January," said SPP chairman Bernd Wagner.
Slovakia, a former communist country, closed the Soviet-type VVER-440/230 reactor at the Jaslovske Bohunice plant northwest of Bratislava for safety reasons on December 31 to meet a pledge given to the EU before accession in May 2004.
It started preparatory work on the relaunch last Saturday to avoid avoid a possible blackout as the gas crisis persisted following Russia's spat with Ukraine which has hit supplies to Europe.
The European Commission said on Monday that the relaunch plan runs counter to EU law and "would be a clear violation" of treaties signed before Slovakia's accession.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico put the relaunch on hold on Monday but said that "if the critical situation comes, we will certainly make this decision."
Slovakia, which depends on Russia for 98 percent of natural gas imports, sent via Ukraine, declared a state of energy emergency on January 6 to economise on its gas reserves, forcing several companies including French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen and South Korea's Kia Motors to halt production.
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