Temelín Nuclear Power Station

Temelín Nuclear Power Station (Jaderná elektrárna Temelín, abbreviation ETE) is a nuclear power plant in Temelín 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.

In spring 2003, the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant, with its 2,180 MW of installed capacity, became the largest power resource in the Czech Republic and the largest source of zero emission electricity generation by far.

History
Planning began in the late 1970s and the final project was submitted in 1985. Construction of four operating units began in 1987. The project was expected to be completed in 1991 with estimated building costs of 35 billion CSK. Six villages were demolished by the then-Communist government to make way for the power station.

After the Velvet revolution in 1990 the Czechoslovakian government decided to cease construction of the third and fourth reactors. Work continued on the first two reactors; in the 1990s alterations to the original design were made by Westinghouse in conjunction with SUJB and the IAEA to bring reliability and safety levels into conformance with Western European standards. The standards audit was carried out by Halliburton NUS. As part of the alterations information and control systems were added, electrical modifications carried out, and cabling, reactor core and fuel elements were replaced. In 1993 the Czech government decided to complete the plant in the face of delays and cost overruns, with expected completion at the time estimated for 1997. In 1994 an opinion poll reported that 68% of Czech citizens were in favor of nuclear power development.

In 1998 construction was not completed and costs reached 71 Billion CZK. The Czech government again reconsidered completion of the plant. In 1999 the decision was made to continue, hoping for an expected completion in 2000 with a maximum cost of 98.6 CZK billion. The project was controversial; national and international (mainly Austrian) opposition was stronger than in the early 1990s. In a 1999 opinion poll 47% of Czech citizens were in favor and 53% against nuclear power development, a fall from 1994. In subsequent years the same poll showed change to 63% in favor and 37% against in 2000 with 58% in favor and 42% against in 2001, indicating fluctuation of opinion. In September and October 2000, Austrian anti-nuclear protesters demonstrated against the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant and at one stage temporarily blocked all 26 border crossings between Austria and the Czech Republic.

As a result of cost overruns, political changes and design changes to the plant, Reactor 1 began commercial operations in June 2002, and Reactor 2 on april 18th, 2003. As of 2023, the two reactors have produced 272 TWh, or 272.000.000.000 kWh of electricity, with no CO2 emissions. Assuming a price level of CZK 2 per kWh, this amounts to 544 Billion CZK. As the initial investment is CZK 100 billion, the plant turns a profit. In 2022 alone, the operators of the plant earned CZK 80 billion, as a result of the Russian invasion and the resulting energy crisis.

The Czech government is actively pursuing expansion of nuclear capacity. "Energy policy in the Czech Republic is guided by the State Energy Policy (SEP), the latest one dating to 2015. Key targets are to reduce energy consumption, improve the energy intensity of the economy and to expand nuclear power by about 2 500 MW by around 2035."

Melk Protocol
The Melk Protocol, signed on 12 December 2000 in Melk, Lower Austria, is the result of negotiations between the Czech and Austrian Governments, led by Czech Prime Minister Miloš Zeman and Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, with the participation of European Commissioner Günter Verheugen. The aim of the protocol was to resolve disputes over the Temelín plant. Austria raised several concerns about the safety and procedures. The Czech Republic committed itself to some above-standard procedures (e.g., notification of events at Temelín to Austria, and a more stringent environmental impact assessment). Consequently, Austria recognised the importance of EU enlargement and agreed that the free movement of goods and people must be preserved (this clause was a response to the blockade of Czech-Austrian border crossings by Austrian anti-nuclear activists). The protocol is not legally binding.

Technical data


Most information was taken from ČEZ website Others from leaflet "Energy from South Bohemia" by ČEZ Group and the IAEA PRIS database. In 2013 the reactors were uprated from 3,000 MW thermal output to 3,120 MW output, bringing the total output to 1003 MWe net and 1056 MWe gross. In 2015 turbomachinery was updated, bringing the total output to the current 1026 MWe net and 1080 MWe gross.

The reactor vessel (core)

 * The reactor contains 163 fuel assemblies and 61 control rod assemblies.
 * A single assembly has the shape of ~4.5m long hexagonal and inside are 312 fuel rods.
 * The fuel rods contain stacked cylindrical fuel pellets.
 * Fuel enrichment: max. 5% (average 3.5%) of 235U (fissile isotope).
 * Fuel load UO2: 92t (The reactor splits about 3 kg of uranium every day).
 * Fuel Replacement cycle: 4 years (1/4 is changed yearly).
 * Vessel height: ~11m, outside diameter: ~4.5m, wall thickness: 193 mm.
 * The vessel is designed for up to 17.6MPa at 350 °C.
 * The vessel is made of high quality, low-alloy chrome-nickel-molybdenum-vanadium steel.
 * For the reactor to produce 1W of thermal output, 30 billion fissions of uranium-235 must take place every second. For a coal power station to produce the same output 1,500,000,000 billion carbon atoms must be burned.

Reactor cooling system

 * Number of cooling loops: 4
 * Quantity of primary circuit coolant: 337 m3
 * Operating pressure: 15.7MPa
 * Coolant inlet temperature: approx. 290 °C (554F)
 * Coolant outlet temperature: approx. 320 °C (608F)
 * Coolant flow through reactor: 23.5 m3/s

Steam generator

 * Number per reactor unit: 4
 * Steam delivered per one generator: 1470 t/hour
 * Steam outlet pressure: 6.3MPa
 * Steam outlet temperature: 278.5 °C (533.3F)

Cooling circuit

 * The plant has 4 cooling towers (each unit has 2 towers).
 * Each tower has a height of 150 m, a diameter of 130 m, and an external wall surface area of 44000 m2.
 * Pure water is evaporated in cooling tower (~0.3m3/s).
 * The water needs to be constantly refilled.

Protective Envelope (containment)

 * Height of cylindrical section: 38m
 * Inside diameter of cylindrical section: 45m
 * Wall thickness: 1.2m
 * Thickness of steel lining: 8mm

Turbine generator set

 * Number per unit: 1
 * Number of steam turbine sections: 1 high pressure and 3 low pressure
 * Speed: 3000 rpm
 * Voltage on alternator's terminal: 24kV
 * Alternator cooling: hydrogen – water

Reliability
The International Atomic Energy Agency data show that Reactor 1 reaches a cumulative operating factor of about 63%, and Reactor 2 an operating factor of about 76%. The cumulative operating factor figures for Temelín NPP reactors are lower than the figures of similar reactors operated in Russia, where the cumulative operating factor is around 80-87%.

ČEZ had increased operating factor and production in recent years and the plant reached 84% in 2012 with a total record production of 15 TWh.

New reactors
Plans to build all four original reactors were reopened in 2005. However, in 2014 the prospective plans were cancelled.

In 2007 planning was suspended because a new government agreed not to promote nuclear energy; a Green Party was a member of the coalition government. However, in July 2008 ČEZ requested the Ministry of the Environment conduct an environmental impact assessment for two additional reactors. In 2009 regional approval was granted for the new build. In August 2009, ČEZ sought bids for two pressurized water reactors (PWRs). Shortly after the Fukushima nuclear accidents, Prime Minister Petr Nečas announced that the construction of new reactors will continue according to the original plans, but with the tender selection delayed to 2013.

In July 2012 ČEZ opened bids for the public contract for completing the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant in the presence of the bidders - Areva, a consortium of the Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC and WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC ČR, and a consortium of ŠKODA JS, Atomstroyexport, and Gidropress. In October 2012 ČEZ informed Areva that they have in their bid failed to meet statutory requirements. Moreover, Areva has not fulfilled some other crucial criteria defined in the tender. Since the award procedure has been conducted in accordance with the Public Procurement Act, Areva's bid had to be excluded from further evaluation.

In March 2013, a Russian led consortium, comprising Atomstroyexport, Gidropress and Skoda, signed contracts with the three Czech companies ZAT, HOCHTIEF CZ and UJV Rez, for the construction of the two new nuclear reactor units for Temelín-3 and Temelín-4. The reactors proposed are the MIR-1200 (Modernised International Reactor). ZAT would supply automated systems for the plant, HOCHTIEF CZ would be responsible for construction of the nuclear island, and UJV Rez would help compile project documentation for the nuclear and turbine islands, and also create working documentation for construction of the plant. A statement said the consortium is aiming for a "localisation level" of 75 percent. The other running project for the contract was Westinghouse with its AP1000 reactor. The winner of the contract was scheduled to be announced at the end of 2013.

In April 2014, ČEZ cancelled the project after the Czech government stated it does not plan to provide guarantees or other mechanisms to support the construction of low-emission power plants following discussions in the EU. The ČEZ CEO stated: "While originally the project was fully economically feasible given the market price of electricity and other factors, today all investments into power plants, which revenues depend on sales of electricity in the free market, are threatened."

In 2021, Westinghouse was contracted to upgrade the instrumentation and control (I&C) systems in a 9-year project.