Press releases pg. 184

On Sunday 2nd April 2000 in the afternoon, hot tests of the first unit at Temelin nuclear power plant were completed after 37 days of duration by the final cooling of the primary circuit. The tests were one of the most important parts of NPP non-active start-up. The tests verified the functionality of devices at operating parameters (temperature of water in the primary circuit 300°C, pressure 15.7Mpa) without the fuel charged in the reactor.

This Friday, on 10th March 2000, a first complex emergency practice took place at Temelin nuclear power plant. In 0633 hours, a situation associated with the leakage between the primary and the secondary circuits in the first unit was simulated and the shift engineer called a technical emergency in the first degree.

State exams of Temelin NPP operators started today. The exams will take place until 23rd March 2000. Total of 41 NPP workers in positions of primary and secondary circuit operators, heads of unit control rooms, heads of the reactor unit and shift engineers will sit for the exams.

In the last year the CEZ Company reached a net income after taxation in the height of 2,259 Kc mln, i.e. ca by 64.5 % less than in the previous year. We had presupposed a decrease of the profit, even more severe, in the beginning of this year. There are several reasons for it, but the key factors are three - decrease of the domestic demand for electricity, stop of the power plant Tusimice I Retrofit and fall of the Czech crown exchange rate.