Who will win the tender for Temelín?
The Czech distribution network might in approximately ten years be joined by two other blocks of the nuclear power station of Temelín plus one of the new blocks at Dukovany. The Czech Republic would over the long term gain about 3,000 MW of electric power.
Just to get the idea: It is approximately one half of the reserve power input that ČEZ distribution delivered with requests for connecting solar panels into their network. But there isn’t at this moment a clear energy concept in the Czech Republic. This key material should be completed next year. The door for the concept of expanding nuclear energy opened after the unsuccessful ‘standing’ of the Green Party in the last election for the Chamber of Deputies.
GAME FOR COMPLETION
Completion of Temelín is at this present time one of the largest work contracts being prepared throughout Europe. The winner of the tender for the completion of Temelín would also get an option to complete other blocks in Dukovany and other countries where ČEZ is active. The value of the contract is an estimated CZK 0.5 trillion. At this time, there are three companies in the game. The American Westinghouse, which also supplied in the past control systems for the first two blocks, the French syndicate Areva and the conglomerate of Škoda jaderné strojírenství, Russian Atomostrojexport and Gidropress. And it is the presence of the two latter that are not acceptable to some politicians because they show on a general level how dependant the Czech Republic is on Russia with regards to energy. “Energy has in the past ten years become a more sensitive strategic segment than the army. It is essentially related to national sovereignty and that is why we openly present the attitude that we don’t want to have Russian companies involved there long term,” said Miroslav Kalousek, current Minister of Finance, to the media.
PROCESSING URANIUM CONTRAS ECOLOGY
Regarding the utilisation of energy sources and the Czech Republic’s selfefficiency, the majority of the physical scientific community inclines towards nuclear energy. Scientists can see, in the current types of reactors, the connecting link to more advanced types, which will be able to also process the ‘ashes’, being present spent fuel and will shorten its activity from thousands of years to several hundreds of years. “This would solve one of the burning issues of present nuclear energy, the nuclear disposal site” said Martin Kocourek, Minister of Industry and Trade. Based on a statement made by an internationally recognised nuclear scientist František Janouch, the Czech Republic has currently reserves of uranium ore for another 150 years. The problem is that it cannot be mined in any other way but via very demanding and from an ecological point of view particularly debatable methods, which includes percolation in sulphuric acid. The new types of reactors might be available, according to František Janouch, in about 60 years, which means at the end of the working life of those that should be newly built at Temelín.