Press releases pg. 33

• FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research) is an international particle accelerator project for research into atomic nuclei and antiprotons, located near Darmstadt, Germany

• Two Elevion Group companies – HERMOS and ETS – succeeded in the prestigious supplier tenders

• When completed, FAIR will be one of the largest accelerators in the world, to be used by 3,000 scientists from more than 50 countries.

• FAIR also has a Czech footprint – the Czech Republic is FAIR Aspirant Partner and several of its large science organizations contribute to the project

• Elevion Group has almost doubled its turnover since ČEZ’s entry

When completed, FAIR will be one of the largest accelerators in the world: a total of 3.5 km of tunnels are planned and eight acceleration and storage rings. The system can accelerate particles of all chemical elements, from hydrogen to uranium, and antiprotons to nearly the speed of light, and simulate their collision with other atomic nuclei. Scientists hope the facility, which has at its heart an underground ring accelerator with a circumference of 1,100 metres, will generate particle beams of previously unparalleled intensity and quality. Here, scientists want to gain new insights for the main scientific questions: How did the universe evolve? How do chemical elements form? How does matter behave under extreme conditions? Why does a person weigh 70 kilograms when all the elementary particles that make up his atoms together are barely 700 grams? HERMOS is responsible for the delivery, installation, and commissioning of building and process automation, hardware and software engineering, as well as the installation of distribution boards. Efficient Technical Solutions GmbH (ETS), in the ARGE RLT FAIR consortium (together with Calvias Gebäudetechnik GmbH), was awarded a major contract by FAIR for a project in the demanding field of ventilation and air conditioning technology. Both companies work under the umbrella of ČEZ.

Higher performance, loyalty to the employer, but also a more creative approach to problem solving and better work results – that is how recognised international studies describe the long-term impact of greater diversity in work teams. ČEZ Group is therefore bolstering the area of diversity and inclusion by adopting a new policy. It is intended not only to help meet the company's ambitious goals of increasing the number of women in management, but also to attract new employees from various groups that are often disadvantaged in the labour market (e.g., seniors, LGBT, people with disabilities, informal caregivers, etc.).

ČEZ Group's investment fund Inven Capital made its first investment in Driivz, a global EV charging infrastructure software company, in 2018. Over the following three years, the Israeli start-up attracted the attention of global investment players such as Volvo Group Venture Capital and Gilbarco Veeder-Root (GVR). The Driivz e-mobility platform is currently used by more than 800,000 drivers in 24 countries. In addition to a return of several times on the initial investment, the Driivz solution has been introduced to ČEZ Group, which uses it to manage its network of charging stations in the Czech Republic.

The country’s largest energy company hired a total of 1,195 new employees in 2021. The number of women hired increased compared to the previous year – last year, they accounted for 43% of new employees. A third of new hires were university graduates, whose share in ČEZ and integrated subsidiaries amounts to a total of 34.2%. Interest in working at nuclear power plants grew sharply compared to 2020.