CEZ, a. s. - Nuclear Power Plants
Homepage » Power Plants and Environment » Nuclear Power Plants
CEZ, a. s. - Nuclear Power Plants
Nuclear Power Plant Dukovany
Four 440 MW units were installed and introduced into operation in the period of 1985 - 1988. In 1995, the installed power output of the power plant represented nearly 20 % of the total capacity installed within the power utility. Its share at the total electricity production of CEZ, a. s., equaled 30 %, approximately, within the same period.
Nuclear Power Plant Temelin
There is a pair of production units constructed, each having 1000 MW of power output capacity. Skoda Praha Company assumes the role of the chief supplier.
The power plant's share at the total electricity production of the CEZ joint-stock company is 50 %, approximately. The automated I & C system for this particular power plant was delivered by Westinghouse Electric Corporation.
For the summary information concerning nuclear safety of Czech nuclear facilities please see the detailed report, successfully negotiated within IAEA, available on the SUJB pages.
| Nuclear Power Plants | Installed power output | Operation commenced in the year |
|---|---|---|
| Dukovany | 4 x 440 | 1985 - 1988 |
| Temelin | 2 x 1 000 | Unit 1 - 2002 Unit 2 - 2003 |
The fuel cycle
In 1997, over 64.5 TWh of electrical power was produced in the Czech Republic, out of which CEZ, a. s. produced more than 74 % (48 TWh). In this year, the only operated nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic, NPP Dukovany, produced 12.5 TWh of electrical energy, approximately.
When both units of Nuclear Power Plant Temelin are introduced into operation, the nuclear energy industry shall cover more than 40 % of electrical power consumption in the Czech Republic.
In Nuclear Power Plant Dukovany, there are four 440 MW units, with VVER 440/213 pressurized water reactors installed. Particular units were commissioned in the period of 1985 - 1987. In Nuclear Power Plant Temelin, there are two 1 000 MW units, with VVER 1000 pressurized water reactors installed. As far as the power output is concerned, nuclear power plants occupy leading positions in the list of Czech Republic power plants - the larges brown coal burning power plant, i. e. PP Prunerov, in its nine units produces the total power output of 1490 MW.
The fuel of both Czech nuclear power plants is uranium dioxide UO2, where uranium is slightly enriched with 235 fissile isotope (for 2-4 % of the uranium total amount; there is only 0.7 % of 235 isotope in the natural uranium). For NPP Temelin, fuel is supplied by A.O.Techsnabexport, a Russian company, whereas for NPP Temelin is the fuel supplied by the Westinghouse company from the USA.
The atomic act which passed the CR Parliament in 1997 requires from all radioactive waste originators, and therefore from the CEZ, a. s. company as well, to bear all the costs associated with radioactive waste depositing since its origination, with safety and security measures concerning the deposits included. The guarantees for a safety depositing of all the radioactive waste, including spent nuclear fuel, are provided by the state, which established Radioactive Waste Deposit Management Office (SURAO), in order to comply with the requirements stipulated in the law.
Activities provided by SURAO are financed from the nuclear account. To the nuclear account, all the radioactive waste originators contribute, out of which CEZ, a.s. contributes an amount in proportion to the energy quantity produced from nuclear power plants. This amount represents 5 %, approximately, of the electrical power acceptance price. CEZ, a. s. generates a separate accounting provision to cover costs associated with power plant decommissioning after the end of their operation.
Each year, Nuclear Power Plant Dukovany produces less than 44 tons of spent nuclear fuel. Both nuclear power plants, then, produce 3 000 tons of spent nuclear fuel during their entire operation periods. The spent nuclear fuel produced by NPP Dukovany, initially, was transported into an intermediate storage facility situated in NPP Jaslovske Bohunice area, in Slovakia, from which it was expected to be gradually removed on a basis of an international treaty concluded with the (former) Soviet Union. The Russian Federation, however, as one of the successor states of the Soviet Union withdrew from the obligations. Following the split of Czechoslovakia, the spent nuclear fuel from NPP Dukovany suddenly appeared on the territory of a foreign state and therefore the Czech Republic accepted a return transport of the fuel assemblies into its own intermediate storage facility built in the NPP Dukovany area. The dry intermediate storage facility, with its 600 tons of spent nuclear fuel capacity, comprises 60 dual-purpose (transport and storage) Castor 440/84 delivered by GNS Nukem, a German supplier.
In 2005, the existing storage capacity of the Dukovany spent nuclear fuel intermediary storage capacity shall be used up. Therefore, design works has started, on an extension of the storage capacity. The spent nuclear fuel from NPP Temelin shall be stored in a storage facility situated within its area and its construction is envisaged in the near future. Concurrently, CEZ a. s., continues with a collection of background information for a design of a storage facility situated outside of the nuclear power plant area. A central deposit of the spent nuclear fuel is projected to be constructed in the “Skalka? location, near to the Zdar nad Sazavou district. This project is being prepared as a backup in case the next construction of storage capacities may not be, from some reasons, implemented in the area of the nuclear power plants. The technical solution envisaged for all options of the spent nuclear fuel storage, i. e. both construction and operation of a dry storage facility, is very progressive and up to the world standards.
The spent nuclear fuel shall be placed into the storage facility for the period of a few dozens of years. Then, its temperature shall drop down to a level, at which it could be deposited definitely into a deep final depository, where the next supervision would not be necessary. Works related to the final storage of the spent nuclear fuels are ensured by Radioactive Waste Storage Management Office (SURAO), as mentioned already.
The CEZ, a. s. power utility, in addition, monitors options of spent fuel recycling before its final deposition. As a long-range option of spent nuclear fuel energy utilization, there are ADTT procedures available, i. e. accelerator-driven transmutation technologies. These are technologies orientated towards utilization of the enormous nuclear power potentials, which the present types of reactors cannot release from the fuel, as well as towards nuclear transmutations of long life-span radionuclides, to make substantially shorter the period when the waste is dangerous due to its radioactivity.
Menu: