Temelín to take a unit offline to repair a valve in one of its service water systems

Temelín Nuclear Power Plant will disconnect its first generating unit from the transmission grid at noon today to repair a valve in one of its three service water systems. Operators will keep the reactor in so-called hot standby, allowing it to return to operation more quickly. This is expected to happen in the coming week. Marek Sviták, spokesperson for the Temelín power plant, told the Czech News Agency (ČTK). The plant’s second unit is operating at full capacity.

„The interruption to the first unit’s electricity generation will have no effect on electricity supplies to consumers. The situation has been reported in advance, and ČEZ will ensure the necessary electricity from other sources,“ the spokesperson said.

The valve that needs repair is part of one of the three service water systems, which provide cooling for a range of other systems, including heat exchangers and ventilation. „Under the regulations the plant operates by, all three service water systems must be in working order. We have 72 hours to carry out any repairs; after that, regulations require us to disconnect the unit from the grid and resolve the issue. That is what has now happened,“ Sviták said.

The second unit at Temelín was also taken offline unexpectedly this year. It stopped supplying electricity on 31 January for repairs to a seal in the generator’s internal cooling circuit and was reconnected to the grid on 5 February.

Temelín Nuclear Power Plant, the country’s largest electricity producer, generated 16.1 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity last year. Since the beginning of this year, it has generated 3.8 TWh of electricity.

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