Czech Dukovany nuclear plant aims to boost output and generate more electricity

The Dukovany nuclear power plant will increase its output by 2.3 percent this year. This will be made possible by raising the temperature in the primary circuit. The plant has been analysing the potential output increase for more than five years. It will use its design margin to achieve it. By the end of the process, generation is expected to rise by more than 300.000 MWh. Roman Havlín, director of the Dukovany nuclear power plant, told journalists today.

The temperature in the primary circuit will rise by 0.9 degrees Celsius to 300.4 degrees Celsius at the reactor outlet. Output will be increased gradually during scheduled outages. According to the director, the additional generation is equivalent to the consumption of around 100.000 Czech households. „The project has been underway for quite a long time; preparations have certainly taken more than five years. It is mainly a matter of safety analyses, minor technical modifications and various calculations,“ Havlín said. He said the increase in temperature would not raise the plant’s water consumption.

In total, this year ČEZ will spend around CZK 3.3 billion on equipment upgrades at the Dukovany nuclear power plant, more than last year. The plant underwent modernisation worth more than CZK 2 billion last year. The company’s investments are intended to ensure that the Dukovany units can operate for at least 60 years, until 2047.

The modernisation includes the introduction of next-generation fuel, longer fuel cycles and the cleaning of key heat exchangers.

The nuclear power plant has a three-year supply of fuel. It is completing an expansion of its fuel storage capacity. „We will gain an additional year and a half to two years’ worth of fuel, and there is still some potential to increase storage capacity further. So ultimately, if we decide to increase our stocks, we would have enough fuel here for up to six years of operation of all four units,“ Havlín said. Under a contract signed last year, the American company Westinghouse will also supply fuel. „We expect the first delivery to the plant at the end of this year. Licensing will take place throughout this year and part of next year, and we would like to load Westinghouse fuel for the first time at the end of next year,“ Havlín said.

Until now, the Dukovany plant has used fuel supplied by TVEL, part of the Russian state-owned Rosatom holding. According to Havlín, deliveries are being fulfilled and the contract with the company remains in force. „The contract runs for several more years, and we have even increased its volume so that we can fill our storage and build up a larger reserve,“ Havlín said.

Czechia currently has six nuclear units at two power plants: Dukovany and Temelín in South Bohemia. Dukovany’s four units were commissioned one by one between 1985 and 1987. The third unit has been undergoing a scheduled outage since 19 January. Outages at the other units are expected to begin at the end of May, in mid-August and at the end of December. They will last 72 to 78 days, according to Havlín.

Last year, the plant generated 14.3 TWh, exceeding the 14 TWh production threshold for the thirteenth time. In 2023, the Temelín nuclear power plant surpassed the 16 TWh production threshold for the second year in a row.