Škoda JS to supply Dukovany nuclear plant in Czechia with reactor control parts worth CZK 1 billion

Plzeň-based ŠKODA JS, a leading European company in the nuclear energy sector, will supply the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant with new reactor control parts between 2025 and 2028 for nearly CZK 1 billion. The parts will be sets of drive mechanisms for the reactor’s control rod assemblies in the upper block, which ensure stable output and allow it to be adjusted if necessary. Karel Samec, spokesman for the engineering company, told the Czech News Agency today.

The Plzeň-based company won a public tender and has already signed a contract. „The complete supply, including the option, covers a total of 98 engineering assemblies. They are several metres long, made of stainless steel, manufactured to tight tolerances and require exceptional reliability,“ the spokesman said. Škoda JS has previously supplied 116 units of this type of equipment to the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant.

„Drive mechanisms for control elements designed for the VVER 440 reactor’s control and instrumentation system are an important part of our serial production. In addition to Dukovany, we also supply them to several Ukrainian power plants. A set is currently ready for dispatch to the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant,“ said František Krček, chairman of the board and CEO of Škoda JS.

Deliveries of the new drive mechanisms for the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant are scheduled in six separate phases, starting in 2025. „This is another important reference project, and given that the plant is expected to operate for at least 60 years, further orders are likely if we win the public tender,“ said Petr Altschul, vice-chairman of the board and sales director of Škoda JS.

ŠKODA JS a.s., part of the ČEZ Group, has more than 1,000 employees. Its annual revenue is CZK 3–4 billion, while its gross profit has long been in the lower hundreds of millions of crowns. „The company’s financial results for 2023 are not yet publicly available,“ Samec said. The company, which divides its activities equally among engineering, manufacturing and services, earns around half its revenue from exports.

The company has manufactured and supplied 21 complete VVER 440 nuclear reactors and three VVER 1000 reactors. Since the 1990s, it has also focused on Western markets and technologies. It works with leading international companies in the sector, the spokesman added.