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Rosatom’s Fuel Company and decommissioning industry integrator, TVEL JSC on 2 December signed co-operation agreements on decommissioning with France’s Robatel Industries and a group of French companies D&S Groupe as well as with Czech Škoda JS. The agreements were signed on the sidelines of the World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE 2021) in Paris.

Date: Saturday, 04 December 2021
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsrussias-tvel-signs-decommissioning-agreements-with-french-and-czech-companies-9297417

Prague wants to build new nuclear plants to replace polluting coal facilities The tender for new units at the Dukovany site (pictured) could include the option of new reactors at Temelín. Courtesy ČEZ. The tender for new reactors at the Dukovany plant in the Czech Republic will include a non-binding option for more units at the Temelín plant, the Czech minister of trade and industry, Karel Havlicek, said in an interview with the Právo newspaper.

Mr Havlicek said the government could issue a tender to build another reactor at the Dukovany nuclear power station after the mid-October elections.

He added that if his populist ANO party wins the election “We will also start preparing for Temelín” He said including the possibility of new units at Temelín in the tender Is “a greater motivation for suppliers, and thus we are pushing even harder on the price”.

Czech state power company ČEZ has said it is planning to build one Generation III+ reactor at the Dukovany site, with a maximum installed capacity of 1,200 MW. However, the company filed for permission to build up to two new units. In 2014, ČEZ cancelled the tender for construction of two new Temelín units after it failed to get state guarantees for the project.

Date: Wednesday, 06 October 2021
Original article: nucnet.org/news/dukovany-tender-could-include-option-for-more-temelin-reactors-10-1-2021

Czech President Miloš Zeman on 27 September signed into law the Act on Measures for the Czech Republic's Transition to Low-Carbon Energy and on the Amendment of Act No 165/2000 Coll On Supported Energy Sources (known as Lex Dukovany). The law, allows a state-owned company to purchase electricity from new nuclear plants at a fixed rate for at least 30 years, with the possibility of extension. The power will be resold on the wholesale market and any profit or loss translated into an adjustment to power bills, although the government said it will set an upper limit on any extra cost.

Date: Friday, 01 October 2021
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsczech-energy-law-adopted-temelin-expansion-may-follow-new-dukovany-unit-9120810

Ministry is inviting four bidders to pre-qualify for reactor project The Dukovany nuclear power station site in the Czech Republic. The Czech government has postponed a tender to build a $7bn nuclear power plant at Dukovany until after October elections and said it will not invite Chinese companies to participate in a security assessment of potential bidders.

The Czech industry ministry said it has decided to invite four bidders including Russia to pre-qualify for a tender to build a new nuclear power plant, but a final decision on who will be allowed to bid will be made after an October election.

The ministry said the Czech Republic will speak to France’s EDF, South Korea’s Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Russia’s Rosatom and Westinghouse of the US and will ask them to provide “comprehensive information on how they will meet the security requirements for suppliers of a new nuclear facility”.

It was announced in January that the Dukovany tender would probably go ahead without a Chinese bidder following an agreement between the Czech government and leaders of opposition parties.

Date: Saturday, 27 March 2021
Original article: nucnet.org/news/government-postpones-dukovany-tender-and-leaves-out-china-3-5-2021

Supplier of Generation III+ reactor could be chosen in 2024 with construction to start in 2029 The existing Dukovany nuclear station, where the Czech Republic is planning to build a new unit. The Czech government signed agreements with ČEZ on Tuesday for a planned expansion of the majority state-owned utility’s Dukovany nuclear power station.

The agreements cover the overall general framework of the project and its initial phase, including a tender in which ČEZ will have a preferred list of reactor technology suppliers by 2022. The signing of a contract with a supplier is expected in 2024. Construction of the new plant could begin in 2029 and trial operation in 2036.

The state, which holds a 70% stake in ČEZ, last week approved plans to give an interest-free loan for the new plant.

It has also approved a model to buy electricity from the new unit at a determined price, with consumers making up the difference if that price is higher than wholesale market prices.

The plans need approval from the European Commission to ensure they meet EU state aid rules.

Date: Thursday, 30 July 2020
Original article: nucnet.org/news/government-and-cez-sign-agreements-for-planned-new-unit-at-dukovany-7-3-2020

Unit could be in commercial operation in 2036, officials say The Dukovany nuclear power station n the Czech Republic. Photo courtesy IAEA. The Czech government has approved agreements with majority state-owned electricity producer ČEZ setting out the framework for building a new nuclear power plant at Dukovany to come online in 2036, state and company officials said.

The Czech government, which owns 70% of ČEZ, had been in discussions with the utility about how to expand nuclear power and to replace aging commercial reactors that are scheduled to be permanently shut down in the decades ahead.

The government wants to propose a financing model by the end of May, before the state goes into talks with the European Commission over the project.

Under the approved framework contracts, which industry minister Karel Havlíček wants to finalise with ČEZ by the end of June, ČEZ could sell the project to the state at various points.

Date: Wednesday, 29 April 2020
Original article: nucnet.org/news/gov-t-takes-step-towards-new-nuclear-plant-at-dukovany-4-2-2020

New-build projects are making progress, but governments are still struggling with finding the right financing package for large reactors The delayed Flamanville-3 is one of three EPR units under construction in Europe. The others are at Olkiluoto in Finland and Hinkley Point in the UK. Photo courtesy EDF. Western Europe

The UK is facing a major challenge to replace its aging fleet of Generation I nuclear power plants, many of which are scheduled to shut down in 2023.

The project by French state utility EDF to build two Generation III EPR units at Hinkley Point C in Somerset is on track for connection to the grid by 2025. Once in commercial operation the two units will provide up to 7% of the total electricity demand. Two similar units are planned for the Sizewell site in Suffolk.

However, press reports have suggested EDF is in “a race against time” to secure a funding deal for Sizewell C as delays risk making the project prohibitively expensive.

According to The Times newspaper EDF has hired Rothschild as financial adviser for the project and says it wants a “definitive way forward” from the government this year so it can start construction in 2022.

Date: Friday, 17 January 2020
Original article: nucnet.org/news/what-lies-in-store-in-2020-1-4-2020

The Czech Republic expects to select the reactor vendor for a new unit at the Dukovany nuclear power plant by the end of 2022 with commissioning planned for 2036, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said yesterday. His comments followed a meeting of the Standing Committee for the Construction of New Nuclear Resources, which was created in February and has now produced a schedule for expansion of the Dukovany plant.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, Babis said: "Energy security is our priority, and I am very pleased that today's meeting has set concrete deadlines for a nuclear unit at Dukovany. They are as follows: in 2021 there should be a siting decision, the tender should take place in 2021, a contractor should be selected by the end of 2022, construction should begin in 2029 and operation in 2036."

The Czech Republic's expansion of nuclear power is in line with the European Union’s efforts to reduce CO2 emissions in the fight against climate change, he said. France has 52 nuclear reactors, which provide 75% of its electricity, making it "a leader in the initiative to reduce CO2 emissions to zero by 2050", he said. The Czech Republic has a 30% share of nuclear power, but the government aims to increase that to 40% by 2040, he said. "We are very concerned about our planet and climate change, but our government has a clear plan."

The Czech government owns 70% of ČEZ, operator of the country's six nuclear reactors, which generate about one-third of its electricity. Last year, they produced almost 30 TWh, up from 28.3 TWh in 2017, covering half of the utility's output. Four VVER-440 units are at Dukovany, in Vysočina Region, and two VVER-1000 units are at Temelín, in South Bohemian Region. The country is phasing out its coal-fired power plants and will need to increase the share of nuclear power if it is to remain self-sufficient in electricity supply.

In July, the government gave preliminary approval for Elektrárna Dukovany II - a subsidiary of ČEZ - to build at least one new nuclear power unit. The decision was announced in a government resolution published by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The government’s energy policy, approved by the cabinet in June 2015, foresees one new unit at Dukovany, and possibly three more at the Dukovany and Temelín sites.

Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček said last month that the country will need to build not only one new unit at Dukovany, but also more reactors at Temelín if it is to avoid becoming dependent on electricity imports from 2030.

Following the meeting yesterday, he said: "The energy clock is ticking. There is no time to waste; we have to build new resources." There is a limit to how far imports and renewable energy can help the country plug its future supply deficit, he said, adding, "We are world-class in nuclear power and building new units is the logical choice." Welcoming the Standing Committee's agreement on this, he said "technical and political consensus is absolutely crucial" during the process to complete a contract with ČEZ, prepare the required legislative steps at a national level and negotiate with the European Commission "simultaneously".

Jaroslav Míl, government commissioner for nuclear energy, said the Standing Committee had discussed the contractual arrangements between the state and the investor, ČEZ. Alongside financial resources, the government will address needs in human resources through cooperation between the Ministry of Industry and Trade and technical universities in order to support specific study programmes.

ČEZ cancelled a tender to build two new units at Temelín in April 2014 after it failed to get state guarantees safeguarding its investment in the project. Bids had been submitted by three candidates - Areva; Westinghouse; and a consortium between Škoda JS, AtomStroyExport and OKB Gidropress. The units had been scheduled to begin operating in 2023 and 2024.

Speaking alongside Babis yesterday, ČEZ CEO Daniel Benes said market estimates for the new unit’s cost ranged from CZK140 billion to CZK160 billion (USD6.0 billion to USD6.9 billion).

Six companies have reportedly showed interest in building new nuclear units in the Czech Republic -  China General Nuclear, EDF, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Rosatom, Westinghouse, and the Atmea consortium of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and EDF.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Date: Friday, 15 November 2019
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Czechs-to-commission-Dukovany-unit-by-2036,-says-P

The Czech Republic will have to build new NPPs to replace ageing coal and nuclear capacity even if this means breaching European law, Prime Minister Andrej Babis told the European committee of the lower house of parliament on 16 October. “Energy security is our priority and there is no way around it.” Power utility CEZ, which is 70% state-owned, has said it plans to phase out its coal-fired power plants by 2040 when only its newest lignite power station would remain operational. The government wants CEZ to be responsible for the new nuclear projects, but CEZ is insisting on state guarantees to ensure that the plants would be both viable and deliver returns to shareholders. This is now under discussion, with the government saying only that it would cover the risks of regulatory and legal changes that might complicate construction and operations.  Some minority shareholders at CEZ believe a nuclear newbuild programme would affect dividends is CEZ finances construction from its own sources.

Date: Wednesday, 23 October 2019
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsczech-premier-willing-to-breach-eu-law-to-build-new-reactors-7467792

December saw Russia sign various nuclear agreements with Uzbekistan, Brazil and Sudan as well as strengthening is co-operation with the Philippines.   

Date: Thursday, 04 January 2018
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsrussia-signs-more-nuclear-cooperation-agreements-6018760