Support for nuclear power in Czechia declines year on year

According to a regular public opinion survey in Czechia, support for nuclear power has fallen by 7 percentage points year on year. Compared with 2012, support has fallen by as much as 12%. At least, this is indicated by the results of a survey conducted by the Public Opinion Research Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

The largest number of respondents, almost half of the 1,043 surveyed, said that current electricity generation from nuclear power should remain at the same level. The following charts show that most people who supported the development of nuclear power now want nuclear generation to retain the same share as before. The number of opponents of nuclear electricity generation remains roughly the same.

This is something of a paradox. The updated State Energy Policy (ASEK) and the National Action Plan for Nuclear Energy Development (NAP JE) are newly adopted strategic documents that support the development of nuclear power. However, this is not supported by public opinion. It appears that the development of nuclear power runs not only counter to the views of some experts, but increasingly also to the views of the Czech public.

According to the newly adopted policy, the priority is to begin construction quickly on one unit at Dukovany and one unit at Temelín. In the future, each plant is to be expanded by one further unit. Such plans do not have public support, which is continuing to decline.

„The government's plans to build four new reactors and increase nuclear power's share to 50% are completely detached from economic reality. Nor do they have public support, because people are realising that they themselves would ultimately have to pay dearly for this loss-making investment,“
Edvard Sequens of the Calla Association for Preservation of the Environment.

Support for the construction of the third and fourth units at Temelín nuclear power plant has also been declining over the long term. Some 44% supported completion, while 39% opposed it. The remaining 17% of respondents had no opinion on completing Temelín nuclear power plant.