Czech nuclear safety authority approves new fuel for Temelín, ČEZ plans loading this year

The Temelín nuclear power plant will be able to start using new fuel from US company Westinghouse. Energy company ČEZ has obtained approval from the State Office for Nuclear Safety (SÚJB). The utility now plans to load the new fuel assemblies into the reactor of the first unit during a scheduled outage at the end of this year. ČEZ announced this today in a press release. Until now, the plant has used fuel from Russian manufacturer TVEL. The Dukovany nuclear power plant is also planning to switch to new fuel.

The authority issued the approval following a multi-year process of preparations, testing and safety analyses. The new fuel assemblies are already at the plant site. After delivery, they underwent a series of inspections to verify their technical condition and compliance with requirements for safe use.

"This is another important step in strengthening the Czech Republic's energy security and diversifying suppliers of nuclear fuel. In addition, we maintain strategic reserves at both of our nuclear power plants," said ČEZ chairman and chief executive Daniel Beneš.

ČEZ began working to increase the number of fuel suppliers at the end of the previous decade, with the aim of becoming more independent of a single supplier. In addition to Westinghouse, which has already supplied the first assemblies for Dukovany, it also has a contract with French company Framatome for Temelín.

The new fuel is not unfamiliar to Temelín's operators. In previous years, the plant successfully tested several Westinghouse trial fuel assemblies, which underwent operation directly in the reactor. It also built on supplies for other nuclear power plants of a similar type.

The approval process included a detailed safety assessment, for example. According to ČEZ, experts spent nearly two years assessing the fuel's behaviour under normal operation, its safety aspects, its compatibility with the reactor, as well as handling and storage procedures.

"We plan the first loading of the new fuel this year during the scheduled outage of Temelín's first unit. At the same time, we will continue preparations for licensing fuel assemblies for Dukovany," said Bohdan Zronek, a ČEZ board member and director of its nuclear energy division.

The Dukovany nuclear power plant is also preparing to switch to new fuel, having received its first fuel assemblies from Westinghouse last year. The utility is currently testing the new fuel there. ČEZ also announced this year that it would work with French company Framatome and other European operators to develop next-generation fuel assemblies for Dukovany-type reactors.

Two nuclear units are currently operating at Temelín in South Bohemia, each with a capacity of around 1000 megawatts (MW). Since the beginning of this year, they have generated around 12 terawatt-hours of electricity. Four further nuclear units, each with a capacity of 510 MW, are located at Dukovany.

Korean company KHNP is now preparing the construction of two additional units at Dukovany. The first of the new Dukovany reactors is expected to be completed in 2036. Geological surveys of the site are currently continuing. Construction of the first unit should begin in 2029. The government will also decide next year on the construction of two new nuclear units at Temelín.