Počerady accounts for 5% of Czech gas consumption; Czech Republic needs many more such plants

The Počerady combined-cycle gas power plant, operated by the semi-state-owned company ČEZ, generated approximately 1.66 TWh of electricity last year. The plant required 3.3 TWh of natural gas to do so, nearly five percent of total natural gas consumption in the Czech Republic. The State Energy Policy envisages the construction of further gas-fired capacity, which will have a major impact on gas consumption. According to ČEZ, up to 5 GW of installed capacity in gas-fired plants needs to be built by 2030, six times the installed capacity of the Počerady combined-cycle gas power plant. 

Electricity generation at the Czech Republic's largest combined-cycle gas power plant has been declining gradually for the fourth consecutive year. Last year, the plant's capacity utilisation reached only approximately 25%. This is substantially lower than for nuclear capacity, but reflects the role of combined-cycle gas power plants in the system. Their main purpose is the rapid deployment of capacity and covering peaks in system demand.