Czech Temelín to extend both unit outages by a total of 50 days in 2017

Temelín Nuclear Power Plant this week extended its planned outages for 2017. The individual units at the newer of the Czech Republic’s two nuclear power plants will be shut down for 24 and 26 days longer, respectively, than originally planned. The reason is a broader scope of inspections and coordination with outages at Dukovany. According to the Temelín spokesperson, the longer outages in 2017 should be offset by shorter outages in subsequent years.

This is already the second extension of outages at Temelín this week. Following the extension of the ongoing outage at unit 2, the dates for 2017 were also revised at the beginning of this week:

In total, the extension of outages at both units will amount to 50 days and, in terms of electricity generation, approximately 1,2 TWh.

„The update is related to an update of the business plan, which happened to take place these days. The outage schedule is a ‘living organism’ that is prepared well in advance and is further adjusted before it begins according to current needs. This was precisely such a case.“
Marek Sviták, JETE spokesperson

The adjustments affected both the outage dates and their duration. According to the spokesperson, coordination with outages at Dukovany played a role, ČEPS requirements for substation upgrades were taken into account, and the scope of activities to be carried out was also expanded.

„For example, we have newly included in our outage schedule a modification of the pressurizer safety valve assembly. The scope of inspections has also increased. In both cases, these are matters that would have been carried out in the future. The longer outages in 2017 will therefore be offset by shorter outages in subsequent years.“
Marek Sviták, JETE spokesperson

At present, neither unit at Temelín is in operation. Unit 2 was originally scheduled to restart on 26 August, but its start-up has been postponed until 1 October this year.

Despite the current shutdown of both units, thanks to virtually uninterrupted generation during the first half of this year, output to date is approximately 15 % higher than last year. Electricity generation this year can be expected at around 13 TWh. Next year, it is expected to reach roughly 14 TWh.

Unit 2 at Dukovany set for outage

According to the plan, unit 2 at Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant will also be shut down tomorrow as it prepares for an extension of its operating licence. It should begin supplying electricity to the grid again on 15 March 2017.

Dukovany also extended its outages for 2017 at the end of June, when more extensive weld inspections and preparations for long-term operation will take place. In addition to unit 1, whose operating licence was extended in the spring of this year, units 3 and 4 will also undergo the licence extension process.

More generally, longer outages of nuclear units in the Czech Republic last year, this year and next year were partly caused by weld inspections carried out by Tediko. Deficiencies emerged during a review of documentation, resulting in thousands of welds being reinspected.