ČEZ estimates flood damage to Czech energy facilities at one billion crowns

Recent floods caused around one billion crowns in damage to the distribution equipment and facilities of ČEZ Group. The water damaged mainly power lines, transformer stations and substations, as well as underground gas pipelines. ČEZ told the Czech News Agency (ČTK). The company said the damage estimate would be refined further as repair work progresses. Another distribution company, EG.D, is also currently assessing damage to its equipment.

ČEZ Group has so far estimated flood damage to its assets at between 900 million and 1.1 billion crowns. The vast majority of the estimated amount relates to distribution equipment and facilities owned by ČEZ Distribuce and gas company GasNet, which the group acquired this year. The parent company ČEZ has also recorded damage worth tens of millions of crowns, mainly at the Dlouhé stráně pumped-storage hydropower plant in the Jeseníky Mountains, while ČEZ Teplárenská saw floodwaters completely inundate 66 heat transfer stations in Bohumín.

Extensive flooding hit Czechia in mid-September. The worst situation was in the Moravian-Silesian and Olomouc regions. Flooding and adverse weather also disrupted electricity supplies, at one point leaving around 260,000 households without power. The gas network has also suffered extensive damage; for example, tens of kilometres of gas pipelines have been damaged in the Jeseník area.

„The damage the devastating floods inflicted on our infrastructure is enormous. In some places, the water literally swept away power line poles, carrying them dozens of metres away; substations were completely submerged, while elsewhere the floods severed gas pipelines or damaged heat exchange stations,“ said ČEZ CEO and Chairman of the Board Daniel Beneš.

„Our main priority was restoring supplies to our customers as colder weather set in, so in many places we had to use temporary solutions. In the coming months, we will now have to work systematically on comprehensive repairs,” he said.

In recent days, ČEZ also decided to provide financial and material assistance to the affected areas. This includes 18 million crowns from the company’s foundation and an employee fundraiser, which went mainly to the components of the Integrated Rescue System and humanitarian organisations working in flooded areas. Like some other suppliers, the company is also allowing customers affected by the floods to defer their advance payments.

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