Czech Cabinet Approves Plans For Long-Term Nuclear Future

The government said in a statement on 3 June 2015 that the National Action Plan for the Development of Nuclear Energy counts on at least one new power reactor being built at Dukovany and Temelín, with a probable total of four new reactors in the long term at the two locations.

Priority for construction of the first reactor will be given to the Dukovany site, where the first of four reactors currently operating there will probably be shut down in 2035.

The plan recommends that state-controlled electricity producer CEZ create a subsidiary company to prepare construction plans and explore options for financing the new reactors. However, the plan said that final approval of construction of the first new reactors could wait until 2025.

In a second stage, there should be an assessment of whether the market has stabilised and if it is possible to build new nuclear units on a commercial basis, or whether market distortions continue and it is not possible to build new nuclear units without government guarantees, the statement said.

The government is calling for this assessment to be completed by 31 December 2015.

The statement said the government expects nuclear to play an important role, along with renewables, in reducing the proportion of fossil fuels in the country’s energy mix.

Petr Zavodksy, director of nuclear power plant development at CEZ, told NucNet before yesterday’s announcement that the decision for how many units will be built on which site will be taken in 2025 when the site permits and the construction permits will be almost ready.

“We are preparing both sites because we do not know how many units will be built and where, but our strategy is to keep all options open,” he said.

The Czech Republic has six commercially operational reactor units: four VVER-440 units at the Dukovany site and two VVER-1000 units at Temelín.