ČEZ plans to build two more combined-cycle power plants in Počerady, Czechia

Energy company ČEZ plans to build two more combined-cycle power plants in Počerady, in the Louny District. It already operates one there, on a site next to a coal-fired power plant owned by Sev.en Česká energie. The published project was reported today by the website Ekonomický deník. According to the investor, the project will help improve the Czech Republic’s energy security.

The Počerady coal-fired power plant has a capacity of 1050 megawatts (MW), while the combined-cycle power plant already in operation has a capacity of 876 MW. ČEZ wants to add a second combined-cycle unit with an electrical capacity of 250 MW and a third with a capacity of 750 MW.

Once expanded, the combined-cycle power plant will serve as a flexible source capable of starting up quickly and adjusting its output, enabling it to play an important role in stabilising the electricity system, ČEZ said in its project notification. The project’s environmental impact will be assessed by the Regional Authority of the Ústí nad Labem Region. “The combined-cycle power plant will operate mainly at intermediate load, during periods of higher electricity consumption or when the electricity grid needs stabilising. The project will help improve the Czech Republic’s energy security, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by replacing existing central coal-fired power sources, and support the transformation of the energy sector towards a low-carbon future,” ČEZ wrote.

The investor expects the new units to operate for around 3000 hours a year. “They would consume around 460 million cubic metres of natural gas annually. That would increase gas consumption in the Czech Republic by more than five percent,” the newspaper noted.

The second combined-cycle unit could start operating in 2031 and the third in 2032. By then, the Počerady coal-fired power plant is expected to have closed or be winding down, in line with the Czech Republic’s commitment to a gradual transition to carbon neutrality. The latest closure date is 2033. “For a limited period, both central power sources could therefore operate at the same time: the Počerady coal-fired power plant and the expanded Počerady combined-cycle power plant,” ČEZ said. The coal-fired power plant is the main source of environmental pollution at the site.

Building combined-cycle units in Počerady is in line with the Czech government’s strategy, which envisages a shift from coal to natural gas. Last year, ČEPS, which oversees the stability of the Czech electricity grid, warned against shutting down coal-fired units without suitable replacements, the newspaper recalled, also mentioning energy companies’ projects focused mainly on building modern gas-fired heating plants.