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World leaders gathered in Brussels at the first ever Nuclear Energy Summit co-chaired by the Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo and the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi. The Summit was the highest-level meeting to date exclusively focused on the topic of nuclear energy. It followed inclusion of nuclear energy in the Global Stocktake agreed at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai in December 2023 and the launch of the IAEA’s Atoms4NetZero initiative.

Date: Wednesday, 27 March 2024
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsnuclear-energy-summit-attracts-world-leaders-11632691

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

The post-COVID economic recovery and the clean energy transition present a huge opportunity from which all nations can benefit, delegates at the IEA-COP26 Net Zero Summit agreed. Over 40 countries, covering more than 80% of global GDP, population and carbon emissions, took part in the event on 31 March to identify how to work together to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. They included the USA, which re-joined the 2015 climate accord earlier this year.

Date: Wednesday, 07 April 2021
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Ministers-chart-the-path-to-COP26

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