Introduction

Though coal remains - and will remain - the main energy source for electricity production in Czech Republic, nuclear power accounts for around 30% of total electricity production and the share of nuclear is expected to increase, according to the government. The Minister of Trade and Industry announced in May 2005 that the building of new nuclear units was being considered. However in January 2007, the new coalition government (Civic Democratic Party, Christian Democratic Party and Greens) declared that no new nuclear unit will be constructed for the next 4 years. The country has two nuclear power plants (NPPs), at Dukovany and Temelin. The country primarily exports electricity to Germany, Austria and Slovakia. Electricity exports have increased since the completion of the Temelin NPP, which began full operation in October 2004. Both NPPs comply with Western safety standards. The design of the Temelin NPP was modified to meet safety requirements.

The Czech Republic has signed the Convention on Nuclear Safety. The National Reports assess favourably the safety level of the Czech Republic’s NPPs. A study is being conducted into the building of a deep geological repository by 2065. The use of nuclear energy is playing a very significant role in electricity production and, therefore, in the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions (GHG) in the Czech Republic. Public opinion is in favour of nuclear, with 77 % of Czechs supporting extension of Temelin NPP, according to a recent survey by the statistical agency STEM. In July 2008, CEZ asked the Environment Ministry to conduct an environmental impact study for the potential construction of two extra units at its Temelin NPP. The study should take about two and a half years. In July 2009, the Czech government adopted a so-called strategy document – ‘Policy of territorial development’ – which sets out conditions to be met for key infrastructure projects such as power plants. The document notes proposals to extend Temelin and Dukovany and also mentions six possible sites for the long-term storage of radioactive waste. In August 2009, an open tender process was launched for the construction of two additional reactor units at the Temelin NPP. The new units are expected to come into operation by 2014.

Country Profile

Executive Summary

Though coal remains - and will remain - the main energy source for electricity production in Czech Republic, nuclear power accounts for around 30% of total electricity production and the share of nuclear is expected to increase, according to the government. The Minister of Trade and Industry announced in May 2005 that the building of new nuclear units was being considered. However in January 2007, the new coalition government (Civic Democratic Party, Christian Democratic Party and Greens) declared that no new nuclear unit will be constructed for the next 4 years. The country has two nuclear power plants (NPPs), at Dukovany and Temelin. The country primarily exports electricity to Germany, Austria and Slovakia. Electricity exports have increased since the completion of the Temelin NPP, which began full operation in October 2004. Both NPPs comply with Western safety standards. The design of the Temelin NPP was modified to meet safety requirements.

The Czech Republic has signed the Convention on Nuclear Safety. The National Reports assess favourably the safety level of the Czech Republic’s NPPs. A study is being conducted into the building of a deep geological repository by 2065. The use of nuclear energy is playing a very significant role in electricity production and, therefore, in the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions (GHG) in the Czech Republic. Public opinion is in favour of nuclear, with 77 % of Czechs supporting extension of Temelin NPP, according to a recent survey by the statistical agency STEM. In July 2008, CEZ asked the Environment Ministry to conduct an environmental impact study for the potential construction of two extra units at its Temelin NPP. The study should take about two and a half years. In July 2009, the Czech government adopted a so-called strategy document – ‘Policy of territorial development’ – which sets out conditions to be met for key infrastructure projects such as power plants. The document notes proposals to extend Temelin and Dukovany and also mentions six possible sites for the long-term storage of radioactive waste. In August 2009, an open tender process was launched for the construction of two additional reactor units at the Temelin NPP. The new units are expected to come into operation by 2014.

Security of supply

The Czech Republic has significant reserves of coal (6300 million tons), but imports most of its crude oil and natural gas from Russia. Coal remains the main energy source for electricity production, followed by nuclear, and hydro. Around 70% of the electricity production is assured by CEZ (the Czech Power Company), a jointly-owned stock company: its operations include ten coal power plants, the Dukovany and Temelin NPPs, eleven large hydro plants, three wind power plants and one solar power station. The country operates the Dukovany and Temelin NPPs. After years of delay, the Czech Nuclear Safety Authority finally cleared the Temelin NPP (South Bohemia) for operation. The first reactor was connected to the grid in December 2000. The second reactor at the Temelin NPP was put into trial operation in April 2003. Both reactors began operating fully in October 2004.

The Czech Republic exports electricity primarily to Germany, Austria and Slovakia. Electricity exports are becoming increasingly important to the Czech Republic, especially since the completion of the Temelin NPP. The Czech Republic is a member of CENTREL, the electricity system linking it with Slovakia, Poland and Hungary.

In 1995, the CENTREL system was connected to the Western Europe’s grid. Currently, both North-South and East-West connections are being expanded, as part of the EU’s Trans-European Energy Network project, including a new link to Lithuania. The four countries in the region are also members of the electricity transmission system, Union for the Coordination of Transmission of Electricity (UCTE), which coordinates the interests of transmission system operators in 20 countries.

Nuclear Policy

In July 2008, CEZ asked the Environment Ministry to conduct an environmental impact study for the potential construction of two extra units at its Temelin NPP. The study should take about two and a half years. In July 2009, the Czech government adopted a so-called strategy document – ‘Policy of territorial development’ – which sets out conditions to be met for key infrastructure projects such as power plants. The document notes proposals to extend Temelin and Dukovany and also mentions six possible sites for the long-term storage of radioactive waste. In August 2009, an open tender process was launched for the construction of two additional reactor units at the Temelin NPP. The new units are expected to come on line by 2014.

The construction of the Temelin NPP took a long time because it had to overcome a variety of technical and political challenges. The building of a fourth unit NPP began in 1987, but was questioned by the “velvet revolution” of November 1989. In 1990, plans to construct units 3 and 4 were abandoned, and work on units 1 and 2 slowed down. In January 1993, Czechoslovakia split into two separate states: the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic approved the completion of the two units at Temelin, but decided that a major modification to the design was required to improve its safety and reliability. A contract was signed with Westinghouse. As a result, there are now two VVER-1000 units that satisfy all the Western safety standards. However the commissioning of the NPP took much longer than usual, not only because of technical problems, but also because of Austria’s reluctance to have a NPP near its border. This issue was addressed by a bilateral agreement signed under the auspices of the European Union, referred to as the Melk Agreement. Temelin’s units 1 and 2 became fully operational on 11 October 2004.

According to Czech legislation - the Atomic Act - CEZ is responsible for decommissioning and must prepare both the financial and technical means required to do the job. It should provide payments to the Czech National Bank to accumulate the necessary funds to cover the cost of decommissioning.

Safety and Waste Management

The Dukovany NPP was built in the 1980s. It has 4 VVER-440 units, pressurized water reactors designed in the former Soviet Union. However, the NPP does comply with Western safety standards and no incident classified above level 1 on the IAEA’s International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) has been reported since it came into operation. The design of the Temelin NPP has been modified to comply with accepted safety standards, as explained above. The Czech Republic has signed the Convention on Nuclear Safety and the National Reports prepared for the review process favourably assessed the safety level of the Czech NPPs. The State Office for Nuclear Safety, created in 1993, is the governmental body responsible for the supervision of safety at nuclear facilities.

The Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (RAWRA) was established by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in May 1997. The radioactive waste repositories currently in operation in the country are: the LLW (low–level waste) and ILW (intermediate-level waste) repository in Dukovany, the Richard repository near Litomerice and the Bratrstvi facilities, in Jachymov. They were put under state ownership in January 2000. The Environment Minister agreed, in November 2005, to the building of an intermediate storage facility for spent fuel near the Temalin NPP by 2014. There is already an intermediate spent fuel storage facility near Dukovany.

The construction of a deep geological repository for high-level waste and spent nuclear fuel is also being planned and prepared by RAWRA. A study is still being conducted into finding a suitable location for the repository site. It should become operational by 2065.

Climate Change

Nuclear energy plays a very significant role in electricity production in the Czech Republic and, therefore, in the reduction of the country’s GHG. If the total electricity output of the Dukovany and Temelin NNPs were replaced by coal-fired power plants, the amount of CO2 emissions in the Czech Republic would increase by 17%. In 1998, the Czech Republic has signed the Kyoto Protocol. During the 2008-2012 commitment period, the country is committed to reducing total CO2 emissions by 8% compared to the 1990 level. Currently total GHG are 20% below the 1990 baseline. The country’s State Energy Policy rightly makes energy efficiency the primary focus of its energy strategy. Even though progress has been made in this area, the Czech Republic still lags behind its neighbours. Although energy intensity fell by 17% in the Czech Republic from 1990 to 2002, it fell by 23% in Hungary, by 27% in Slovakia and by 39% in Poland. This suggests that there is still substantial room for improvement. Energy efficiency increases national competitiveness, reduces emissions and enhances energy security. The government has been encouraged to follow up its work in the SEP with concrete policies and measures aimed at improving energy efficiency, especially in the transport and building sectors. The reduction in government funding for energy efficiency that has occurred in recent years is not consistent with the ambitious targets that it has set for improving energy efficiency. The budget allocation for energy efficiency and renewable energy should be reviewed based on cost-effectiveness criteria.

Public Opinion

Around 77 % of Czechs support the use and development of nuclear energy, according to a recent survey by the statistical agency STEM carried out in March 2009. Roughly The number of respondents, who are favourable to the nuclear new-build projects, is slightly lower: less than one-half (46 percent) supports them. Support for the development of nuclear power in the Czech Republic varies slightly dependending on respondents‘ age and education (it increases slightly with higher education and with age). A significant gap can only be noticed between men and women: while 65 percent of men support the further development of nuclear power, while only 52 percent of the women do so. As far as differences between supporters of the different major political parties are concerned, Green Party supporters form a distinctive group, which largely (58 percent) rejects nuclear, unlike the supporters of the other parties who follow the general patterns.