New supplies of natural gas arrived in Slovakia Sunday, easing pressure on the government to restart a nuclear reactor shut down as part of the deal that saw the country join the European Union.
The government said it would announce in coming days whether the Jalovske Bohunice reactor would be used again but Prime Minister Robert Fico and Finance Minister Lubomir Jahnatek indicated it was unlikely.
Gas was cut because of an energy price dispute between Russia and Ukraine, through which most gas intended for Europe transits. Millions in Europe have had their winter heating cut in the dispute.
But since Sunday, gas supplies have been arriving through the alternative Yamal-Europe pipeline which takes gas from Russia through Belarus and Poland. Restrictions on Slovakian companies were expected to end Monday.
Finance Minister Jahnatek said on CT television "I hope to be able to answer definitively next week the shutdown of this section of Jaslovske Bohunice."
"The situation is no longer so urgent that the finance minister has to press the button to restart Jaslovske Bohunice," said Prime Minister Fico. But he said it could be reopened if there was a "new crisis."
Slovakia had started preparatory work to relaunch the Soviet-era reactor to avoid a possible blackout due to the gas crisis.
The European Commission had said any relaunch plan runs counter to E.U. law and "would be a clear violation" of treaties signed before Slovakia's accession.
Slovakia closed the Soviet-type VVER-440/230 reactor northwest of Bratislava for safety reasons on Dec. 31.
Slovakia depends on Russia for 98% of natural gas imports through Ukraine and declared a state of energy emergency on January 6 to save its gas reserves.