Nuclear power in the Czech Republic
Encyclopedia
The Czech Republic
currently operates two nuclear power stations: Temelín
and Dukovany
. As of 2010 there have been government and corporate moves to expand Czech nuclear power
generation capacity. Any expansion is likely to build on plans first developed in the 1980s.
In 1956 a decision was made to build the first nuclear power station in Czechoslovakia
, in Jaslovské Bohunice
(western Slovakia). The KS 150
or A1 reactor (120 MWe
) was selected because of its ability to use unenriched uranium
mined in Czechoslovakia (see Uranium mining in Czechoslovakia). The KS 150 was designed in the Soviet Union and built in Czechoslovakia. Construction was burdened by many problems and took an unexpectedly lengthy 16 years. In 1972 the plant was activated. In 1977 an accident stopped energy production and since 1979 the reactor has been being dismantled.
In 1970 an agreement with the Soviet Union
was made to build two power stations of the VVER
reactor design. One plant was built again in Jaslovské Bohunice, the other in Dukovany (southern Moravia), both equipped with four reactors VVER-440 v. 213 producing 440 MWe each. The first new reactor in Jaslovské Bohunice was activated in 1978, the remaining 7 during the 1980s.
At the end of 1970s a decision was made to build two more power stations: Temelín (southern Bohemia, 4 × VVER-1000, 1000 MWe) and Mochovce (southern Slovakia, 4 × VVER-440 v. 213, 440 MWe). Due to a politically motivated decision by the government of Petr Pithart
, in 1990 the Temelín station limited to two reactors. The construction of Temelín also suffered from delays and was over budget.
The fluoride volatility
method of reprocessing
used nuclear fuel was developed at the Řež nuclear research institute at Řež
.
). The CEZ does not believe reprocessing is economic and stores spent fuel until the Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (RAWRA) assumes responsibility for it. The RAWRA will select a permanent location for storage by 2015 and construction will begin on this site after 2050.
have had disagreements concerning the Temelín Nuclear Power Station
only 50 km from the Czech-Austrian border. Austria had threatened the Czech Republic with difficulties in joining the EU if the plant was commissioned. Other opponents to this power plant claimed that it had the same design as the Chernobyl
— a falsehood, since Chernobyl had RBMK
s, and Temelín would have VVER
s. The Czech President at the time, Václav Havel
, called the plant “megalomaniac.”
Energy Policy of 2004 envisages building two or more large reactors to replace Dukovany power plant
after 2020. The plans announced in 2006 envisage construction of one 1,500 MWe unit at Temelín
after 2020, and a second to follow.
. In the year 2000 no construction was expected before 2015, if ever.
(home of a large coal powered power plant) was selected, but its location between the cities of Hradec Králové
and Pardubice
was unfavorable and the more distant village of Tetov
was chosen (one plan suggested building a nuclear heating plant in Opatovice nad Labem instead).
The power station required an area of 150 hectare
s and was to have two or four VVER-1000 reactors, producing 1000 MWe each and also providing heating for the Hradec Králové-Pardubice agglomeration, and for Prague (using a 67 km long steam pipeline). Construction was to be started in 1996 and the reactors activated between 2004–2008. The cost was estimated to be 60 billion (109) Kčs
.
(or the Soviet Union before 1991), who is the supplier of enriched uranium. A programme from 1980s recommended the building of an underground storage site to keep waste for reprocessing
in the future. Geological exploration started during the second half of the 1990s. Eleven candidate locations have been selected but the process is not finished as of 2006. A possibility to store waste on the Temelín station site is being considered.
.
Those living near nuclear waste storage invariably disagree (see the NIMBY
phenomenon). They argue that the mere existence of such plans blocks development of an area, discourages investments and reduces the attractiveness of the place for tourists. Several villages had organized referendum
s against planned waste storage and regional governments have tried to put legal and organizational obstacles in the way of new stations.
In 2008, 64% of Czechs answered in poll that they agree with the use of nuclear power. This was (together with Lithuania) the greatest proportion from all 27 surveyed EU countries. Furthermore, the poll shows that the support of public steadily grows, from 52% in 2004 to 64% in 2008.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
currently operates two nuclear power stations: Temelín
Temelín Nuclear Power Station
Temelín Nuclear Power Station is located near Temelín, a small village in the Czech Republic. Temelín NPP is owned by ČEZ Group, which employs 1000 workers at this site. The adjacent castle Vysoký Hrádek serves as an information centre.-History:...
and Dukovany
Dukovany Nuclear Power Station
The Dukovany Nuclear Power Station is a nuclear power plant near Dukovany, a village in the Czech Republic.It was the first NPP in what is now the Czech Republic and is situated 30 km from the city of Třebíč, near Dalešice Dam, where the NPP sources its water supply...
. As of 2010 there have been government and corporate moves to expand Czech nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
generation capacity. Any expansion is likely to build on plans first developed in the 1980s.
History
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, in Jaslovské Bohunice
Bohunice Nuclear Power Plants
The Bohunice Nuclear Power Plant is a complex of nuclear reactors situated 2.5 km from the village of Jaslovské Bohunice in the Trnava District in western Slovakia....
(western Slovakia). The KS 150
KS 150
KS 150 is a heavy water Gas Cooled Reactor nuclear reactor design. A single example, A-1, was constructed at the Bohunice Nuclear Power Plant in Jaslovské Bohunice, Czechoslovakia. The power plant suffered a series of accidents, the worst being an accident on February 22, 1977 rated INES-4...
or A1 reactor (120 MWe
MWE
MWE may refer to:*Manufacturer's Weight Empty*McDermott Will & Emery*Midwest Express, an airline*Merowe Airport - IATA code*Multiword expressionMWe may refer to:*Megawatt electrical...
) was selected because of its ability to use unenriched uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
mined in Czechoslovakia (see Uranium mining in Czechoslovakia). The KS 150 was designed in the Soviet Union and built in Czechoslovakia. Construction was burdened by many problems and took an unexpectedly lengthy 16 years. In 1972 the plant was activated. In 1977 an accident stopped energy production and since 1979 the reactor has been being dismantled.
In 1970 an agreement with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
was made to build two power stations of the VVER
VVER
The VVER, or WWER, is a series of pressurised water reactors originally developed by the Soviet Union, and now Russia, by OKB Gidropress. Power output ranges from 440 MWe to 1200 MWe with the latest Russian development of the design...
reactor design. One plant was built again in Jaslovské Bohunice, the other in Dukovany (southern Moravia), both equipped with four reactors VVER-440 v. 213 producing 440 MWe each. The first new reactor in Jaslovské Bohunice was activated in 1978, the remaining 7 during the 1980s.
At the end of 1970s a decision was made to build two more power stations: Temelín (southern Bohemia, 4 × VVER-1000, 1000 MWe) and Mochovce (southern Slovakia, 4 × VVER-440 v. 213, 440 MWe). Due to a politically motivated decision by the government of Petr Pithart
Petr Pithart
Petr Pithart is a Czech politician, lawyer and political scientist.He served as Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from February 6, 1990 to July 2, 1992...
, in 1990 the Temelín station limited to two reactors. The construction of Temelín also suffered from delays and was over budget.
The fluoride volatility
Fluoride volatility
Fluoride volatility is jargon that describes the volatility of fluorides, which is relevant to the separation of radionuclides. Hexafluorides and pentafluorides have much lower boiling points than the lower-valence fluorides. Most difluorides and trifluorides have high boiling points, while most...
method of reprocessing
Nuclear reprocessing
Nuclear reprocessing technology was developed to chemically separate and recover fissionable plutonium from irradiated nuclear fuel. Reprocessing serves multiple purposes, whose relative importance has changed over time. Originally reprocessing was used solely to extract plutonium for producing...
used nuclear fuel was developed at the Řež nuclear research institute at Řež
Rez
Rez, developed under the codename K-Project, Project Eden, and Vibes, is a rail shooter video game released by Sega in Japan in 2001 for the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, with a European Dreamcast release and United States PlayStation 2 release in 2002...
.
Waste
The Czech Republic currently has no state policy on storage or reprocessing of nuclear waste but leaves the responsibility on the Czech Power Company (CEZCEZ Group
CEZ Group is a conglomerate of 96 companies , 72 of them in the Czech Republic. It is involved in the electricity generation, distribution, and trade. CEZ Group operates also in Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Kosovo, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and...
). The CEZ does not believe reprocessing is economic and stores spent fuel until the Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (RAWRA) assumes responsibility for it. The RAWRA will select a permanent location for storage by 2015 and construction will begin on this site after 2050.
Czech Austrian relations
The Czech Republic and AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
have had disagreements concerning the Temelín Nuclear Power Station
Temelín Nuclear Power Station
Temelín Nuclear Power Station is located near Temelín, a small village in the Czech Republic. Temelín NPP is owned by ČEZ Group, which employs 1000 workers at this site. The adjacent castle Vysoký Hrádek serves as an information centre.-History:...
only 50 km from the Czech-Austrian border. Austria had threatened the Czech Republic with difficulties in joining the EU if the plant was commissioned. Other opponents to this power plant claimed that it had the same design as the Chernobyl
Chernobyl
Chernobyl or Chornobyl is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, in Kiev Oblast, near the border with Belarus. The city had been the administrative centre of the Chernobyl Raion since 1932....
— a falsehood, since Chernobyl had RBMK
RBMK
RBMK is an initialism for the Russian reaktor bolshoy moshchnosti kanalniy which means "High Power Channel-type Reactor", and describes a class of graphite-moderated nuclear power reactor which was built in the Soviet Union. The RBMK reactor was the type involved in the Chernobyl disaster...
s, and Temelín would have VVER
VVER
The VVER, or WWER, is a series of pressurised water reactors originally developed by the Soviet Union, and now Russia, by OKB Gidropress. Power output ranges from 440 MWe to 1200 MWe with the latest Russian development of the design...
s. The Czech President at the time, Václav Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
, called the plant “megalomaniac.”
Proposed expansion
The CzechCzech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
Energy Policy of 2004 envisages building two or more large reactors to replace Dukovany power plant
Dukovany Nuclear Power Station
The Dukovany Nuclear Power Station is a nuclear power plant near Dukovany, a village in the Czech Republic.It was the first NPP in what is now the Czech Republic and is situated 30 km from the city of Třebíč, near Dalešice Dam, where the NPP sources its water supply...
after 2020. The plans announced in 2006 envisage construction of one 1,500 MWe unit at Temelín
Temelín Nuclear Power Station
Temelín Nuclear Power Station is located near Temelín, a small village in the Czech Republic. Temelín NPP is owned by ČEZ Group, which employs 1000 workers at this site. The adjacent castle Vysoký Hrádek serves as an information centre.-History:...
after 2020, and a second to follow.
- The easiest expansion of nuclear energy plant would be completion of the two abandoned blocks at Temelín station. A recommendation by the Ministry of Industry suggested in 2005 to add two 600 MWe reactors there before the year 2025. In August 2009, ČEZCEZCEZ stands for:* one of Falconbridge Ltd.'s refineries* a Czech news channel* IATA airport code for Cortez Municipal Airport* CEZ Group, a Czech energy company...
sought bids for two pressurized water reactorPressurized water reactorPressurized water reactors constitute a large majority of all western nuclear power plants and are one of three types of light water reactor , the other types being boiling water reactors and supercritical water reactors...
s (PWRs) for units 3 and 4. - Several locations in the Czech landsCzech landsCzech lands is an auxiliary term used mainly to describe the combination of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia. Today, those three historic provinces compose the Czech Republic. The Czech lands had been settled by the Celts , then later by various Germanic tribes until the beginning of 7th...
were investigated and selected for new stations during the 1980s: the village of Blahutovice (northern Moravia, near OstravaOstravaOstrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
), the village of TetovTetovTetov is small village in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has around 160 inhabitants.During the 1980s Tetov was selected as the place to build a new nuclear power station. The plan has been postponed and may not be continued at all....
(eastern Bohemia, near PardubicePardubicePardubice is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the river Elbe, 65 miles east of Prague. Pardubice has an antique centre square and old town, with many restaurants that stay open until late in the evening. There is an old Tower and a recently renovated Castle...
),the town of Mníšek pod BrdyMníšek pod BrdyMníšek pod Brdy is a town south west of Prague in the Czech Republic, in Central Bohemian Region. It hosts an annual cross-country Ultramarathon of 50 km length, which is part of the European Ultramarathon Cup. The town is part of the Prague metropolitan area.-External links:*...
(central Bohemia) and even a nuclear heating plant in Prague-Radotín.
Blahutovice
Blahutovice, a village located in an isolated, poor and thinly populated area, was selected in 1986 because of convenient geological conditions. A power station (JEBL) with two VVER-1000 reactors was proposed together with a new dam in Hustopeče nad BečvouHustopece nad Becvou
Hustopeče nad Bečvou is a market town in the Czech Republic.-External links:*...
. In the year 2000 no construction was expected before 2015, if ever.
Tetov
Initially, Opatovice nad LabemOpatovice nad Labem
Opatovice nad Labem is a village in Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has cca 2,200 inhabitants. A large power station is located here.-External links:*...
(home of a large coal powered power plant) was selected, but its location between the cities of Hradec Králové
Hradec Králové
Hradec Králové is a city of the Czech Republic, in the Hradec Králové Region of Bohemia. The city's economy is based on food-processing technology, photochemical, and electronics manufacture. Traditional industries include musical instrument manufacturing – the best known being PETROF pianos...
and Pardubice
Pardubice
Pardubice is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the river Elbe, 65 miles east of Prague. Pardubice has an antique centre square and old town, with many restaurants that stay open until late in the evening. There is an old Tower and a recently renovated Castle...
was unfavorable and the more distant village of Tetov
Tetov
Tetov is small village in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has around 160 inhabitants.During the 1980s Tetov was selected as the place to build a new nuclear power station. The plan has been postponed and may not be continued at all....
was chosen (one plan suggested building a nuclear heating plant in Opatovice nad Labem instead).
The power station required an area of 150 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s and was to have two or four VVER-1000 reactors, producing 1000 MWe each and also providing heating for the Hradec Králové-Pardubice agglomeration, and for Prague (using a 67 km long steam pipeline). Construction was to be started in 1996 and the reactors activated between 2004–2008. The cost was estimated to be 60 billion (109) Kčs
Czechoslovak koruna
The Czechoslovak koruna was the currency of Czechoslovakia from April 10, 1919 to March 14, 1939 and from November 1, 1945 to February 7, 1993...
.
Nuclear waste storage
Nuclear waste produced by the power stations (and by the other smaller reactors in the country) is currently exported to RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(or the Soviet Union before 1991), who is the supplier of enriched uranium. A programme from 1980s recommended the building of an underground storage site to keep waste for reprocessing
Nuclear reprocessing
Nuclear reprocessing technology was developed to chemically separate and recover fissionable plutonium from irradiated nuclear fuel. Reprocessing serves multiple purposes, whose relative importance has changed over time. Originally reprocessing was used solely to extract plutonium for producing...
in the future. Geological exploration started during the second half of the 1990s. Eleven candidate locations have been selected but the process is not finished as of 2006. A possibility to store waste on the Temelín station site is being considered.
Position of the public
Most of the Czech public supports further expansion of nuclear power use (60% in 2007), seeing it as the only realistic chance to deal with the future energy crisisPeak oil
Peak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. This concept is based on the observed production rates of individual oil wells, projected reserves and the combined production rate of a field...
.
Those living near nuclear waste storage invariably disagree (see the NIMBY
NIMBY
NIMBY or Nimby is an acronym for the phrase "not in my back yard". The term is used pejoratively to describe opposition by residents to a proposal for a new development close to them. Opposing residents themselves are sometimes called Nimbies...
phenomenon). They argue that the mere existence of such plans blocks development of an area, discourages investments and reduces the attractiveness of the place for tourists. Several villages had organized referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
s against planned waste storage and regional governments have tried to put legal and organizational obstacles in the way of new stations.
In 2008, 64% of Czechs answered in poll that they agree with the use of nuclear power. This was (together with Lithuania) the greatest proportion from all 27 surveyed EU countries. Furthermore, the poll shows that the support of public steadily grows, from 52% in 2004 to 64% in 2008.
External links
- Nuclear energy plans of Czechoslovakia (in Czech)
- Website of the State Office for Nuclear Safety (en, cz)