Czech Senate approves faster permitting for new nuclear facilities

Permitting for the construction of new nuclear facilities, including small modular reactors, in Czechia should become simpler and faster. Nuclear legislation should also be ready for the arrival of new nuclear technologies. This is provided for in a government bill amending the Atomic Act, which the Senate approved yesterday. It will now be sent to the president for his signature.

According to the state’s current plans, nuclear power is to be a mainstay of the Czech energy mix alongside renewable sources. The state is therefore preparing to build new reactors as well as small modular units.

The changes are intended primarily to reduce the regulatory burden involved in reviewing construction projects within the state administration. They are mainly technical in nature. According to the government, the existing law did not, for example, take small modular reactors into account. It will also allow applicants to request preliminary information from the State Office for Nuclear Safety (SÚJB) on how applications are assessed. It will also allow exemptions from the requirements of the law.

One of the new provisions introduced by the bill is the option of requesting preliminary information from the SÚJB. The aim is to seek clarification or consultation on how the office would decide. The government says this is necessary because the rapid emergence of new technologies brings a number of technical and technological uncertainties. It is therefore important to be able to clarify, before the relevant proceedings begin, whether the information, documentation, technologies and equipment will meet the requirements. The office will then indicate whether it will require, for example, additional conditions or what criteria it will use to assess the application.

Another new provision is the possibility of the SÚJB granting an exemption from the requirements of the law. The law already allows some exemptions, including changes to the category of a workplace or source of ionizing radiation. An application to the office will have to state relevant reasons and demonstrate that the conditions set out in the law have been met. The government says the exemption is needed because new technologies are developing very rapidly and their exact parameters are not yet known, as they are still being developed. According to the government, the amendment is based on experience with the implementation of the new Atomic Act. The cabinet believes some approaches could be made more effective.

When approving the bill, the Chamber of Deputies adopted an amendment proposed by an MP and lowered the upper limit on fees paid to the Radioactive Waste Repository Authority. Nuclear power plants will be required to pay no more than 120 Kč/MWh, while nuclear research facilities and nuclear heating plants will pay 80 Kč/MWh. The government had proposed fees of 163 and 109 crowns, respectively. MPs justified their proposal to lower the fees by saying that the proposed increase was unacceptable for taxpayers operating nuclear power facilities.

According to the government, the amendment is based on experience with the implementation of the new Atomic Act, which came into force in 2017. The cabinet believes some approaches could be made more effective. The changes are therefore intended primarily to reduce the regulatory burden involved in reviewing construction projects within the state administration. They are mainly technical in nature.

The current Atomic Act has been in force since 1 January 2017. It governs the peaceful use of nuclear energy and ionizing radiation and, based on the “cradle-to-grave” principle, covers all components of the life cycle of nuclear facilities.