Dukovany hot-water pipeline to free up boiler house space in Brno, Czechia

Nine gas boiler houses in Brno’s city districts are expected to be replaced by connections to a hot-water pipeline by 2031. Brno Heat Plants (Teplárny Brno) plans to bring the pipeline to Brno from the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant. The company held talks with mayors not only from the city districts that could eventually connect to the pipeline, but also from five others where excavation work will be needed to build it. Brno Heat Plants said in a press release.

“We have kept city district mayors regularly informed about developments and updates on the project. We discussed in detail how construction of the pipeline will affect their districts and what benefits and restrictions they should expect. We will continue to work with them and discuss all key developments in the project, while minimizing disruption to residents’ lives,” said Petr Fajmon, chief executive of the municipal heating company.

The hot-water pipeline from the Dukovany nuclear power plant will run 42 kilometers through 14 municipalities in the Vysočina and South Moravian regions. It will end in Brno’s Bosonohy district, from where the heating company will build two branches. The first will head to Bohunice and connect Kohoutovice, Nový Lískovec, Starý Lískovec and Bohunice—including Brno University Hospital and the university campus—to the pipeline, extending as far as Old Brno. The second branch will head towards Bystrc and to Královo Pole, Žabovřesky, Lesná, Vinohrady and Líšeň.

“We also have many gas boiler houses in these areas, mostly on the outskirts of housing estates. We want to shut them down completely in the future and replace them with a small, modern heat-exchange station. The advantage is that the modern technology will take up considerably less space than the existing boiler houses. The space they occupy today could therefore be used, for example, for new rental premises or community facilities. However, we still want to discuss specific plans with each city district,” Fajmon added.

The 42-kilometer hot-water pipeline is intended to reduce Brno’s reliance on imported natural gas, which currently accounts for about 80 percent of all heat produced by the heating company. In the future, Dukovany is expected to supply half of Brno’s heat demand.

The estimated construction cost is 19 billion crowns, of which two billion will be invested by ČEZ directly at the Dukovany power plant. ČEZ CEO Daniel Beneš said when signing the agreement with the heating company that a construction contractor is expected to be selected around the second quarter of 2027.

Construction of the hot-water pipeline was considered in the 1980s. It was not economically viable because of the low gas prices at the time. The consequences of Russia’s attack on Ukraine changed the plans.