Drábová: The operating lives of older Czech reactors can be extended if they pass inspections

The operation of older nuclear reactors at Dukovany can be extended at least until 2045, provided no safety issues are found during the ten-year periodic reviews. The units are currently licensed to operate until 2035. Dana Drábová, head of the State Office for Nuclear Safety (SÚJB), said this on Czech Television’s Otázky Václava Moravce programme. In her view, extending the lives of the Dukovany units could cover any potential delays in the construction of new units, although other power sources would also need to be strengthened.

According to Drábová, the key to any potential extension of the Dukovany nuclear units’ operation will be the so-called periodic safety review. This takes place every ten years and, the SÚJB head said, involves very thorough inspections not only of the reactors’ technological components but also of qualified personnel and other matters important to the units’ operation.

The Dukovany nuclear power plant was commissioned between 1985 and 1987. It is currently licensed to operate until 2035. If the individual reactors are found to meet requirements during periodic inspections, their operating lives can be extended further, Drábová said. She did not rule out an extension of more than another ten years.

In this context, Drábová noted that the nuclear power sector has little experience so far with operating nuclear units for more than 50 years. She pointed out that, for example, power plants in the United States are being considered for operating lives of up to 80 years. However, the economic sustainability of operating older reactors remains an open question, she said.

ČEZ has also begun assessing the possibility of extending the operation of nuclear units in Czechia to 70 years, taking them beyond 2050.

Extending the operation of older reactors could therefore make up for delays that may affect the construction of two new reactors at Dukovany. They are to be built by South Korean company KHNP, but the Regional Court in Brno recently blocked the signing of the final agreement with the Koreans by issuing an interim injunction. It did so pending consideration of a lawsuit by France’s EDF, which is protesting the conduct of the Czech nuclear tender. The first of the new reactors was due to enter service in 2036, but according to Elektrárna Dukovany II, the company in charge of the project, the delay in finalising the agreement will postpone all subsequent stages of the project.

Czechia currently has six nuclear units at two power plants. Two units, each with a capacity of approximately 1000 megawatts (MW), are at Temelín in South Bohemia. Four smaller units, each with a capacity of 510 MW, are located at Dukovany in the Třebíč district.