Geological survey for new units begins at Czechia’s Dukovany, with around 300 boreholes planned

Geological surveys for two new nuclear units began today at Dukovany. Experts will drill around 300 boreholes to depths of up to 140 metres. The survey is being carried out for South Korean company KHNP, which won the contract to build the units, by ČEZ Energetické produkty and its subcontractors. Drilling rigs will work in the fields next to the power plant until the end of this year, most likely until mid-November, Petr Závodský, chairman of the board of Elektrárna Dukovany II, told reporters at the survey’s launch today.

“I am pleased that less than two months after signing the contract, we can begin the first actual work on the ground. I consider it important that this work is being carried out from the outset by experienced experts from a specialised Czech supplier,” said KHNP CEO Ju Ho-wang.

Industry and Trade Minister Lukáš Vlček (STAN) is confident that the expected involvement of Czech industry in the project will be achieved. “It is important that things are proceeding according to plan,” he said of the planned construction of the units.

Geological surveys had already been carried out at the site for the new units, partly to enable ČEZ to obtain planning permission for them. “The survey that begins today is for a specific Korean project,” Závodský said. The work will cover around 200 hectares of land. “It’s not just the construction site; we’re also carrying out surveys on the area designated for the construction site facilities. The boreholes there aren’t as deep, but we’re doing them there too,” he said. Other areas needed for the units’ technical facilities will also be investigated. Around 40 workers will take part in the surveys. Boreholes will range in depth from five to 140 metres.

The samples collected will then be analysed in a laboratory. The final report will be completed in the second quarter of next year, Závodský said. The fields where up to ten drilling rigs will operate this year have already been harvested. Once the survey is complete, the land will be restored to its original condition and returned to farmers until construction begins.

The surveys are required for the next stage of the permitting process. ČEZ would like to obtain a construction permit for the new units in 2029. The first unit is expected to be completed in 2036, with the second following a year later.

Construction of new nuclear units in Czechia is expected to be the largest contract in the country’s history. At current prices, the cost of building two reactors at Dukovany is 407 billion crowns.

Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant currently has four units, which were commissioned between 1985 and 1987. KHNP signed an agreement to build the units this June with Elektrárna Dukovany II, the company responsible for the project as its investor. The framework contract covers two agreements. The first is for the construction of two nuclear units at Dukovany, while the second is for the supply of nuclear fuel.