Government wants to mitigate impact of Dukovany expansion in Czechia, Fiala says

The government wants to mitigate the negative impacts of the planned expansion of the Dukovany nuclear power plant in the Třebíč region on surrounding municipalities and towns, and instead turn this strategic investment into an advantage for the entire region. Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) told reporters this after visiting the Dukovany plant today and meeting representatives of local authorities and businesses. For example, the state will allocate almost 14 billion crowns over the coming years for permanent and temporary transport infrastructure. It will also prepare a study on the impact of construction on employment and the environment around the plant, with the results expected in the autumn.

The prime minister said that expanding the Dukovany nuclear power plant would undoubtedly benefit the whole country. At the same time, however, it should create opportunities for further development in the municipalities and towns directly affected. Such a huge project requires cooperation among everyone concerned, he said, so that potential risks can be addressed and the negative impacts of construction limited. „Everyone understands how important it is to address the impacts on the region and on both regions,“ he said.

According to Vítězslav Schrek (ODS and STO), governor of the Vysočina Region, routes will need to be prepared for transporting oversized components for the new Dukovany unit, as well as for transporting materials and people. He said the region should receive a total of around four billion crowns from the almost 14 billion announced for these routes. The South Moravian Region should receive 2.3 billion crowns for the same purpose, added its governor, Jan Grolich (KDU-ČSL).

According to Schrek, the construction at Dukovany will also bring other challenges. „We need to prepare our region in terms of employment, housing, security, public services and healthcare,“ the governor said. He said that, according to estimates, 3,000 to 5,000 people could come to the Třebíč region over the next ten years to prepare for and build the new units. They will need somewhere to live, doctors and, potentially, schools for their children, he added.

French company EDF, South Korea’s KHNP and US company Westinghouse submitted bids in the tender to build a new unit at Dukovany. The government then invited only two bidders – EDF and KHNP – to submit binding offers by mid-April to build up to four new reactors at Dukovany and Temelín. Fiala expects the government to decide on the tender winner in the middle of this year. The first reactor at Dukovany is expected to start operating in 2036.

The state is considering using funds from pension funds, and possibly insurance companies, to finance strategic investments, subject to clearly guaranteed conditions. „These are funds that could be used to prepare important infrastructure and energy projects,“ said Transport Minister Martin Kupka (ODS).

The Czech Republic 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, with a capacity of 510 MW, are at Dukovany in Vysočina.