Elektrárna Dukovany II, a wholly owned subsidiary of Czech power utility ČEZ, has received a zoning decision for new nuclear units at the Dukovany NPP from the Ministry of Industry & Trade. The application for a zoning decision for two units was submitted in June 2021. “This step marks the successful completion of another milestone in the preparation schedule,” said ČEZ Board Chairman Daniel Beneš. At the same time, it is also a clear signal to all bidders in the current tender for the construction of new nuclear power plants that the permitting process is being implemented.”

Because of the need to address the objections of the parties to the proceedings “due to systemic bias of officials”, updates to the Czech Land Use Policy and changes to the legislation in force during the proceedings, as well as the scope of the documentation, the Construction Department of the Municipal Office in Třebíč requested six deadline extensions for the decision, ČEZ noted. Following a change in the Building Act, the administrative proceedings were transferred to the Ministry of Industry & Trade in July.

“The complex authorisation process of the new nuclear power plant project at Dukovany, one of the largest projects in Czech history, has advanced to the next stage,” said Tomáš Pleskač, Director of ČEZ's New Energy Division. “The issuance of the current decision is a significant step forward in the project. We have already received a positive opinion on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and a permit for locating the nuclear power plant from the State Office for Nuclear Safety and authorisation for constructing the nuclear power plant from the Ministry of Industry & Trade.”

The zoning permit was issued one day before the deadline for submission of final bids for construction of a new unit by US Westinghouse, France's EDF and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power. Westinghouse is proposing its AP1000, KHNP its APR1400 design and EDF its EPR1200 (a smaller version of its standard EPR). Russia and China were excluded from the bidding in 2021.

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. The Dukovany units will be decommissioned no later than 2045-2047.

Image: There are currently four VVER-440 units at Dukovany (courtesy of ČEZ)