Czech government to discuss climate and energy plan, which envisages a 30% renewables share

The share of renewable energy in total consumption in Czechia is expected to rise from around 18% today to 30% by 2030. This is envisaged in the updated version of the National Energy and Climate Plan, which the government will discuss on Wednesday. The plan also confirms the target of ending coal combustion by 2033 and oil and natural gas combustion by 2050, and envisages strengthening nuclear power, in particular by building new reactors, according to findings by the Czech News Agency (CTK). Critics say the proposal has shortcomings.

Once approved by the government, the draft plan will be sent to the European Commission. However, this is happening several months late, as the original submission deadline expired at the end of June. The proposal is not the final version of the plan, however: the government will continue consulting with the Commission and may make revisions. The country should then have the final text ready by next summer.

The proposal includes several possible scenarios. Under the preferred scenario, the country aims to increase the share of renewable energy mainly by developing solar and wind power. The plan therefore envisages building new photovoltaic plants with a total installed capacity of 10.1 gigawatts (GW) connected to the grid, as well as new wind power capacity of 1.5 GW by 2030. Hundreds of new wind turbines are expected to be built.

The plan does not yet include the targets of a new directive recently approved by EU institutions. The directive sets a target for clean energy to account for 42.5% of total energy consumption across the EU by 2030. This target is intended to be an EU-wide average and does not apply to individual countries. The current EU-wide share is around 22%. The country intends to reflect the new EU target in the plan at a later stage.

Critics say, however, that a 30% share is not enough. The Chamber of Renewable Energy Sources recently presented its own analysis, which says it is possible to increase the share of electricity and heat consumed from renewable sources to more than 35% by 2030. Friends of the Earth Czech Republic (Hnutí Duha) has also called for an increase in the national renewables target, arguing that the plan does not take domestic potential into account.

In addition to renewables, the draft climate and energy plan also envisages future expansion of nuclear power, which is expected to be a key part of the Czech energy sector in the coming decades. Some scenarios include up to four new reactors, as well as new small modular units.

The plan also confirms 2033 as the deadline for phasing out coal. In this connection, international think tank Ember warns that Czech mines will begin to close gradually as early as next year, and that the country would then have to switch its coal-fired power plants to gas. However, according to Adam Ondráček, director of the Puls Institute, the transition to gas-fired power plants would come only at the cost of a significant increase in energy prices; another option, he says, is to increase energy imports. The institute also considers plans for new nuclear units unrealistic.