European enrichment company Urenco has signed new contracts with Czech power company ČEZ that will ensure supplies of enriched uranium well into the 2030s. ČEZ has been a customer of Urenco for over 20 years. The enriched uranium will be utilised for both the Dukovany and Temelin NPPs.
The two companies were hosted at the British Embassy in Prague by Ambassador Matt Field. Urenco Head of Sales Sarah Riedel said: “I am proud that we have extended our long standing supplier relationship with ČEZ, helping the Czech Republic strengthen its energy security. ČEZ has been a long-time advocate for diversity of supply and is a leader in new nuclear power in Europe. We look forward to supporting ČEZ with enriched uranium for their new reactors, both big and small.”
Bohdan Zronek, ČEZ Board Member and Director of the Nuclear Energy Division, said: “We have been cooperating with Urenco for 20 years, and the newly concluded contract sets the stage for further long-term cooperation. Our task is to ensure the safe operation of our nuclear power plants. And through the diversification of suppliers and contracts with stable companies, we simultaneously strengthen the energy security of the Czech Republic.”
Currently US Westinghouse and France’s Framatome supply the final fuel assemblies for ČEZ’s nuclear power plants. Four VVER-440 units are currently in operation at the Dukovany site, which began operating between 1985 and 1987. Two VVER-1000 units are in operation at Temelín, which began operation in 2000 and 2002. Nuclear accounts for about 34% of the Czech Republic’s electricity.
ČEZ began a process of diversifying its fuel suppliers in line with European Union policy with a tender in 2018. Previously fuel was supplied by Russian fuel company TVEL. CEZ still has some TVEL fuel assemblies in storage for both NPPs including at least a year’s fuel for Dukovany.
In 2022 contracts were with Westinghouse and Framatome for the VVER-1000 units at Temelin. In 2019, six Westinghouse test fuel assemblies were inserted into the Temelín 1 reactor core to verify their properties and the results are now being evaluated by experts from both Westinghouse and ČEZ. Westinghouse fuel was previously used at Temelín from 2002 to 2009 but following technical problems including fuel deformation and incomplete rod insertion, TVEL was selected as fuel supplier.
TVEL in 2006 won a tender for a 10-year fuel supply contract with delivery to start in 2009. The plan was to phase in the TVEL fuel gradually but in 2009 ČEZ decided to immediately switch to TVEL fuel in 2010 and the remaining Westinghouse fuel was removed. Westinghouse subsequently redesigned its VVER-1000 fuel following similar problems in Ukraine.
However, Westinghouse has only recently designed fuel for VVER-440 reactors, which is now being tested at Ukraine’s Rivne NPP. ČEZ said, for Dukovany, Westinghouse will use fuel based on the Rivne design.
While Russia provided complete fuel supplies, Framatome and Westinghouse provide only the final assemblies. The uranium has to be bought on world markets and then enriched. As well as the contract with Urenco, ČEZ also has a long-term uranium enrichment contract with France’s Orano. Agreements on conversion and enrichment services from Orano were signed in 2023 for the Temelin NPP and in March 2024 for Dukovany.
