Czech Nuclear Power Plants

Main article: Czech economy

There are two nuclear power plants in the Czech Republic - Temelin and Dukovany. In 2023, two nuclear power plants account for 40% of electricity consumption in the Czech Republic.

The stations were erected according to the projects of the USSR. The Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia signed a corresponding agreement in 1970. The stations installed VVER-1000 and VVER-440/213 reactors with a capacity of 1,055 MW and 505 MW, respectively.

Nuclear power plants

Temelin Nuclear Power Plant

Temelin NPP is located in the south-west of the Czech Republic, 25 km north of the city of Ceske Budeevice, South Bohemian region. It covers an area of ​ ​ 1.25 km. It is a division of the Czech state energy company ČEZ.

The nuclear power plant began commercial work in 2002, more than 20 years after the start of construction.

For 2024, there are two power units, the electric capacity of the station is 2160 MW. Cooling of turbine condensers:

• is carried out with the help of 4 cooling towers, 2 for each of the reactors,
• the height of the cooling towers reaches 155 m, the diameter at the base is 130 m,
• water intake for the cooling system is made from the river. Vltava and the Hnekovice reservoir.

Dukovany NPP

The Dukovany nuclear power plant was launched in 1985-1987. It is located 30 km southeast of Trebic in western Moravia, between the villages of Dukovany, Slavetice, Rouhovany. It has 4 power units with reactors VVER-440/213 a total capacity of 2040 MW.

Chronicle

2024

Korean KHNP won a tender for the construction of 2 new power units of the Dukovany nuclear power plant. The most expensive project in the history of the Czech Republic

In July 2024, the South Korean company Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) won a tender for the construction of 2 new power units of the Dukovany nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic. This was stated by Czech Prime Minister P. Fiala at a press conference at the end of the Cabinet meeting. Theses by P. Fiala:

• the government of the republic considered today the proposals for the construction of new power units at nuclear power plants in our republic, made by the bidders, the French company EDF and the South Korean company KHNP, and concluded that in all respects the best is the proposal of KHNP;

• 2 new units will be built at Dukovany NPP (in the south-east of the country);

• the cost of building 1 power unit (with the simultaneous construction of 2 units) will be about 200 billion Czech crowns (about 8.7 billion dollars). UNITED STATES).

This will be the largest and most expensive contract in the history of modern Czech Republic. Budget costs for preparatory work over the next 5 years will range from 80 to 85 billion Czech crowns (3.4-3.6 billion dollars. UNITED STATES). However, according to Finance Minister Z. Stanyur, emergency budgetary measures will not be required.

Czech authorities exclude American Westinghouse from tender for the construction of the Dukovany nuclear power plant

The Czech authorities excluded the American company Westinghouse from the tender for the construction of the Dukovany NPP unit. This is due to the fact that the Americans did not submit a binding proposal. In fact, it imposes responsibility on the contractor for the performance of work on time and in accordance with the requirements set out in the documents.

The Russian state corporation Rosatom and the Chinese China General Nuclear Power also claimed to participate in the project, but the Czech authorities excluded them from among the possible participants in the project, citing national security concerns. The law, signed by President M. Zeman in September 2021, prohibits the Russian Federation and the PRC from participating in future nuclear projects.

The French company EDF and the Korean KHNP continued to participate in the tender for construction: they must submit mandatory proposals for the construction of up to four new reactors by April 15, 2024.

2023

Abandonment of Russian nuclear fuel by TVEL amid conflict in Ukraine

Previously, the stations used nuclear fuel (NF) from the TVEL company, which is part of the Rosatom structure.

On June 28, 2022, information appeared that the Temelin nuclear power plant would receive NF for its reactors from the American Westinghouse and the French Framatome;

On March 24, 2023, it became known that the Dukovany nuclear power plant also abandoned Russian fuel, from 2024 Westinghouse will become its supplier;

On February 15, 2024, Ye15 reported that Dukovany nuclear power plant will begin using Westinghouse nuclear power plant from the end of 2024, Temelin nuclear power plant will begin this a few months later.

US bans South Korea from building new nuclear power plants in Czech Republic

The US government has slowed down the implementation of the project of the South Korean company Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) to build a nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic, Business Korea reported on April 6, 2023.

According to industry sources, KHNP passed the information to the ministry power engineering specialists USA  on December 23, 2022, to obtain permission to bid. The department denied the request on Jan. 19 .

According to the US government, the cross-border transfer of some American technologies in the field of nuclear power is impossible without the permission of Washington.

The problem stems from APR1400, South Korea's most advanced reactor, developed from its own technology but backed by Westinghouse.

In October 2022, the American company Westinghouse filed a lawsuit, stating that the South Korean reactor is subject to export restrictions under the US export control law.

2022: Sixth place in the EU for energy generation by nuclear power plants

Energy generation by nuclear power plants in EU countries in 2022