Temelín in Czechia moves used fuel from second unit, storage facility half full

Technicians at the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant have moved three containers of used nuclear fuel to the plant’s storage facility. The fuel transfer during the planned outage of the second unit was preceded by inspections by inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Euratom. Once the containers have been placed, half of the storage facility’s total capacity of 152 positions will be used, plant spokesman Marek Sviták told journalists today.

"The containers are currently in the storage facility at service positions. They will undergo further inspections here and be prepared for transfer to their storage position. IAEA inspectors have already sealed the primary lids of the storage containers, and further seals will be applied in the coming weeks," said plant director Petr Měšťan.

Inspectors monitor the loading of fuel into the container inside the containment building around the reactor itself. Special equipment and cameras verify that the declared fuel assemblies have been placed in the container. Further cameras monitor activity in the reactor hall or directly in the used fuel storage facility. If everything is in order, inspectors seal everything on an ongoing basis.

International inspectors place four seals on two of the container’s three lids. The State Office for Nuclear Safety also oversees the process. Similar inspections are standard at all nuclear power plants whose operators have signed an agreement on the peaceful use of nuclear energy. "Continuous camera surveillance and the presence of both Czech and international inspectors demonstrate that nuclear material is handled in the prescribed manner and that there is no risk of it being misused for non-peaceful purposes," Sviták said.

At the storage facility, which is the size of a large hall and which ČEZ commissioned directly on the plant site in 2010, the containers can remain for up to 60 years. IAEA cameras will monitor them throughout that period. International inspectors come once a year to check the seals. Four containers can hold fuel that helped generate one-fifth of the Czech Republic’s annual electricity consumption.

The planned outage of Temelín’s second unit began on 13 February and is now roughly halfway complete. Energy workers have inspected the fuel and are continuing checks of safety systems and work around the turbogenerator. The outage schedule includes more than 18.000 activities.

Since the start of the year, the Temelín plant has generated 3,1 terawatt-hours of electricity. ČEZ is investing 3,8 billion crowns in modernising the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant this year. That is 700 million CZK more than last year.