At Tušimice in Czechia, ČEZ could operate up to six small nuclear reactors

ČEZ could operate up to six small modular reactors at Tušimice in the Chomutov area. They would replace the electricity generation of the Tušimice II lignite power plant. The first unit is expected to come online in 2038. This follows from the published project plan. The Ministry of the Environment has launched a screening procedure. Municipalities and other authorities can comment on the project within a month of its publication on the official noticeboard of the Ústí nad Labem Region.

The reactors will have a total electrical capacity of up to 1500 megawatts. Continuous operation is planned, with a workforce of 1200. Circulating cooling and cooling towers will dissipate residual and process heat into the atmosphere. The Ohře River will be the water source, with the Nechranice Reservoir serving as a backup. The Ústí nad Labem Region, the cities of Chomutov and Kadaň, and municipalities around Tušimice will comment on the project

Modular reactors can be mass-produced in factories and gradually assembled in multiple units at a single site. According to nuclear energy experts, they differ from large nuclear units mainly in their lower capacity and in being quicker and simpler to build. Their operation, by contrast, could be similar. Experts consider them suitable for replacing existing coal-fired power plants. ČEZ is preparing its first modular reactor near the Temelín nuclear power plant in South Bohemia.

Electricity generation at the Tušimice site began in 1963 -1964, when the Tušimice I power plant came online. It operated until the early 1990s, when experts shut down all six units. The Tušimice II power plant, with four units, has been operating since the mid-1970s. Each has a capacity of 200 megawatts. Coal mining is the limiting factor for the operation of the power plants. Coal is supplied to Tušimice from the neighbouring Libouš mine, which is part of Doly Nástup Tušimice. “Mining at Doly Nástup Tušimice could continue until 2029 under the mining permit; a possible earlier closure is currently being assessed as part of decarbonisation targets,” Lukáš Kopecký, a spokesperson for Severočeské doly, told ČTK. Doly Nástup Tušimice employed 864 people at the end of last year.