Czech ČEZ receives licence to continue operating Dukovany unit 1, but is far from out of the woods

Yesterday evening, ČEZ received a permit from the State Office for Nuclear Safety (SÚJB) for the continued operation of unit 1 at the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant. Unlike permits issued in previous years, the current permit has been granted indefinitely and requires compliance with a number of operating conditions.

ČEZ submitted its application for permission to continue operating the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant on 24 September 2015, as the plant's long-term operating licence was due to expire at the end of last year.

To obtain the permit, ČEZ had to demonstrate the plant's current condition by submitting documentation. However, due to poor-quality images of welds, the documentation had to be updated, and the company requested that the proceedings be suspended in December. ČEZ's existing permit was extended until the end of March this year, and the SÚJB postponed its decision on issuing a new permit. A new application was submitted to the authority on 26 February.

The new permit was ultimately granted to the company yesterday evening. The SÚJB decision is available here.

“The entire process of applying to operate the unit was very demanding. We gained very valuable experience that we will use in preparing applications for the remaining three units at our plant,” said Miloš Štěpanovský, director of the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant.

ČEZ is far from out of the woods

In the past, permits were routinely granted for 10 years. According to SÚJB chair Dana Drábová, the 10-year period was introduced primarily because of its link to so-called periodic safety reviews. The authority decided to issue the current permit indefinitely, subject to compliance with a number of operating conditions.

“There is a large number of conditions with relatively strict deadlines, and if ČEZ does not comply with them, it will be as though it did not have the permit. Failure to meet even a single condition of the permit means that the permit ceases to be valid,” said Dana Drábová, chair of the SÚJB.

ČEZ will apply for a permit to operate unit 2 later this year, and for the remaining two units in 2017. However, the company cannot submit new applications until the documentation for each unit is complete, which requires inspection and, where necessary, repair of all welds.

Lead photo: ČEZ