Unit 1 at the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant has resumed electricity production following an extended outage. The plant will now operate on a fourteen-month fuel cycle, four months longer than its previous schedule. This adjustment is expected to increase the share of fresh fuel in the reactor and reduce downtime.
The plant’s control system has also been undergoing significant upgrades since 2022. According to Jan Kruml, Director of the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant, “Through the new system, we are already managing part of the technology, such as the pumping stations of technical and fire water. Other parts of the power plant will also pass on to it in further outages. The modification will be finished on both units in 2029.”
CEZ Group management views these changes as important for operational safety and efficiency. Bohdan Zronek, member of the CEZ Board of Directors and Director of the Nuclear Energy Division, stated: “The modernisation of the control system will ensure units’ safe operation for the next decades. Longer fuel cycles, and therefore less downtime, mean lower equipment load and, at the same time, we create the prerequisites for increasing the year’s production of both nuclear power plants by almost two terawatt-hours of electricity.”
This planned increase in production by nearly 2 TWh would represent about 3.5% of last year’s total electricity consumption in the Czech Republic.
During this most recent outage period, more than 18 thousand work tasks and inspections were completed over two months. Technicians inspected safety systems as well as key components like turbines and generators. Over a thousand people worked alongside suppliers during this process. Suppliers are now scheduled to begin work at Dukovany’s Unit 2 at the end of August.
Currently, Temelín Unit 1 is supplying electricity to the grid at half its rated reactor power with plans to reach full output within days. Further tests remain before achieving full capacity; technicians will assess reactor power distribution when reaching 80% output.
Since January, Temelín has produced 9.4 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity. Together with Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant, these facilities are among ČEZ Group’s leading sources for clean energy generation in Czechia. Annually, nuclear operations have helped prevent about 200 million tons of CO2 emissions from being released into the atmosphere.
