Unit 2 of the Temelin nuclear power plant, which was expected to be connected to the grid after reaching first criticality, has been taken out of operation following the discovery of a generator rotor in need of replacement on the non-nuclear side of the plant. National power utility CEZ said it expects the outage to last for approximately six weeks. Earlier, on 5 July, attempts to connect the reactor to the grid failed due to a short circuit.
• Following a decision by the Austrian parliament to demand further talks on the plant’s shutdown, European Union (EU) energy commissioner Loyola de Palacio said that the operation of Temelin is the responsibility of the Czech Republic. She said Temelin is in order as far as the European Commission is concerned and complies with security standards of the EU.
