Power generation at Czech plants Počerady and Chvaletice may not end in March 2027, as reported

Power generation at the Počerady and Chvaletice power plants will continue at least until 31 March 2027, and possibly longer. The operator has pushed back the date in response to the current situation. Sev.en group spokesperson Eva Maříková told CTK. The energy group owned by billionaire Pavel Tykač had originally described the end of March next year as the latest date for shutting down operations, with plans to end operations around the turn of this year and next.

According to Maříková, current changes in energy markets, particularly in electricity and emissions allowance prices, as well as natural gas prices, have a significant impact on the shutdown of the power plants. On Tuesday, the group informed state transmission system operator ČEPS that generation at both of the facilities would continue at least until 31 March 2027, and that this may not be the final date.

"We are continuously monitoring and assessing all changes in the energy market. We acknowledge that, after assessing market conditions, we may continue generating electricity at the Počerady and Chvaletice power plants even after 31 March 2027," Maříková said.

Oil prices have risen sharply over the past month because of the war in the Middle East, while gas prices have fluctuated considerably. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on 28 February, igniting a regional war. Iran has retaliated by targeting US and Israeli targets in the region. Iran's Revolutionary Guards are also blocking the Strait of Hormuz, through which tankers normally transport around one-fifth of global oil production and approximately one-third of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen said on Tuesday that the European Union should respond to the current energy crisis in a united and coordinated manner. The European Commission is preparing a set of proposals for member states on how to address the consequences of the war in Iran, he said, and will publish them soon, as energy markets will remain disrupted for a long time.

Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlíček (ANO) said on Tuesday that at a meeting of EU energy ministers he had again called for a discussion of reforming the EU ETS 1 emissions trading system, or potentially capping allowance prices, and for the ETS 2 system not to be adopted for now. ETS 1 is Europe's main emissions allowance market, covering the energy sector, heavy industry and aviation in the EU. ETS 2 is due to come into operation in 2028, after a one-year delay, and is expected to cover road transport and building heating.

The current price of an ETS 1 emissions allowance is around EUR 90/t CO2, while the European Commission's 2019 EU Reference Scenario 2020 projected a price of EUR 26.5/t CO2 for 2026.

At the end of January, transmission system operator ČEPS recommended temporarily keeping two of the four units at the Chvaletice coal-fired power plant in operation. According to its analysis, fully shutting down the Chvaletice plant could, under certain operating conditions, cause problems with voltage control in the northern part of the transmission system, increase the risk of overloading selected lines and reduce the system's ability to recover after a large-scale power outage.