Czech Temelín plant to sound sirens this morning during security drill, residents warned

A security drill will be held today at the Temelín nuclear power plant, where staff will test their response to an emergency. Warning sirens will sound in the plant’s grounds this morning. The drill is unannounced, and only a limited group of plant employees had been informed about it. However, because the sirens will sound inside the plant’s grounds, staff informed mayors of nearby municipalities and users of the information SMS system this morning, Temelín spokesperson Marek Sviták told journalists.

Unlike previous unannounced drills, the entire plant will take part for the first time. ČEZ will sound warning sirens in the plant’s grounds this morning. „We don’t want to alarm anyone. From experience, we know that the sirens can sometimes be heard in the immediate vicinity of the plant. That is why we informed the mayors of nearby municipalities this morning and sent an SMS to users of the information system. At the same time, we need to practise the plant’s response to situations that arise unexpectedly,“ said Jan Kruml, director of the Temelín power plant. Temelín launched its SMS notification system five years ago, and more than 1000 people use it.

The plant has held several unannounced drills in the past. They have always involved only a limited group of people, mainly members of the emergency response team. Most recently, Temelín carried out an unannounced evacuation of its main administrative building in response to a possible fire. „This time, with the exception of staff involved in operations, we have included the entire plant. Through unplanned drills, we want to test the response of other employees and get feedback to confirm that our evacuation plans are properly set up,“ Kruml added.

Temelín will sound the sirens at least twice more this year, for the regular siren tests in early April and October. ČEZ tests the sirens at Temelín from two locations. Odd-numbered sirens are activated by the electrical control room operator, while even-numbered ones are activated from the emergency centre. By law, energy companies must conduct the test twice a year.

Temelín is the country’s largest electricity producer, covering around a fifth of domestic consumption. ČEZ brought the plant into operation in December 2000. Last year, Temelín generated 16,1 terawatt-hours (TWh), and it has produced one TWh of electricity so far this year.