On 7 October 2026 the ČEZ Group signed a contract to sell its 49 per cent stake in the Slovak company JESS, which is preparing a new nuclear power plant at Jaslovské Bohunice, to the Slovak state for 189 million euros.
On 7 October 2026 the ČEZ Group signed a contract to sell its 49 per cent stake in Jadrová energetická spoločnosť Slovenska (JESS), which is preparing the construction of a new nuclear power plant at Jaslovské Bohunice. The Slovak state is buying the stake for 189 million euros, which according to E15 corresponds to about 4.6 billion Czech koruna. The ČEZ Group expects the settlement to take place in the coming days.[1][2]
Parties to the deal
The stake is being sold by ČEZ Invest Slovensko, a subsidiary of the ČEZ Group. The buyer is the state-controlled Slovak company Jadrová a vyraďovacia spoločnosť (JAVYS), which until now held the majority 51 per cent stake in JESS. After the transaction the new power plant project will be fully in the hands of the Slovak state.[1]
Founding and development of JESS
Slovakia and the ČEZ Group founded JESS in 2009, during the first government of today's Slovak prime minister Robert Fico. Among other things, the ČEZ Group was to provide expertise.[1] According to Ekonomický deník, the ČEZ Group decided in January 2013 to withdraw from the project, because electricity prices had fallen and the tender for completing Temelín was developing unfavourably. The Russian company Rosatom reportedly showed interest in a minority stake at the time, but no agreement was reached.[2] The project was then postponed for several years. In 2022 JESS obtained authorisation from the Slovak Ministry of Economy to build a new reactor, and in February 2023 it applied to the Úrad jadrového dozoru for a permit to site a nuclear facility.[2]
Dispute over the purchase price
Ekonomický deník, citing the Slovak daily SME, reports that the size of the price caused a dispute in the governing coalition. According to Economy Minister Denisa Saková (Hlas-SD), a price of around 190 million euros, set by an appraisal from EY, was too high, whereas Prime Minister Robert Fico (SMER-SD) was, according to the same source, pushing for the fastest possible buy-out.[2] According to E15, a new appraisal confirmed the original valuation of the stake, and the government then entrusted preparation of the construction not to the Ministry of Economy but to the government commissioner for nuclear energy and the Úřad vlády České republiky.[1]
Statements
After the signing, the CEO of the ČEZ Group, Daniel Beneš, said that the joint venture was to prepare the project well enough for Slovakia to be able to build the plant at Jaslovské Bohunice, and that in his view it is the best-prepared site for a nuclear power plant in Europe. According to Beneš, a feasibility study had been approved for the project, a certificate of capacity reservation, a positive environmental impact assessment, a siting permit under the Atomic Act and the necessary land had been obtained; zoning proceedings had also been started.[1]
Robert Fico praised cooperation with the ČEZ Group and the Czech side as correct and said that construction could be significantly accelerated.[1] According to E15, the Slovak opposition claims that Fico pushed the ČEZ Group out of the project so that he could decide on the investment himself. Karol Galek, an MP for the party Svoboda a Solidarita and a former deputy minister of economy, said according to the same source that the ČEZ Group had brought added value to the project.[1]
Next steps
According to earlier reports, the US company Westinghouse is to be Slovakia's main partner in building the plant, which is to have an output of around 1200 megawatts.[1] Ekonomický deník, citing Denník N, reports that Fico wants to conclude a binding contract with it before the parliamentary elections due in September 2027, and that the Slovak government speaks of completing the new unit in 2040.[2]
Related articles: Jadrová energetická spoločnosť Slovenska, Jaslovské Bohunice, ČEZ Group
Chronology
- — The ČEZ Group signed a contract to sell its 49 percent stake in Jadrová energetická spoločnosť Slovenska, which is preparing a new nuclear power plant in Jaslovské Bohunice, to the Slovak state for 189 million euros. E15 Ekonomický deník
Sources
- E15 — 7 October 2026
- Ekonomický deník