DUKOVANY NUCLEAR PLANT, Czech Republic (AP) \u2014 The eight huge cooling towers of the Dukovany power plant overlook a construction site for two more reactors as the Czech Republic pushes ahead with plans to expand its reliance on nuclear energy.<\/p>\n
Mobile drilling rigs have been extracting samples 140 meters below ground for a geological survey to make sure the site is suitable for a $19 billion project as part of the expansion that should eventually at least double the country\u2019s nuclear output and cement its place among Europe\u2019s most nuclear-dependent nations.<\/p>\n
South Korea\u2019s KHNP beat France\u2019s EDF<\/a> in a tender to construct a new plant whose two reactors will have an output of over 1,000 megawatts each. After becoming operational in the second half 2030s, they will complement Dukovany\u2019s four 512-MW reactors that date from the 1980s.<\/p>\n The KHNP deal<\/a> gives the Czechs an option to have two more units built at the other nuclear plant in Temel\u00edn, which currently has two 1,000-megawatt reactors.<\/p>\n Then, they are set to follow up with small modular nuclear reactors<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cNuclear will generate between 50% and 60% around 2050 in the Czech Republic, or maybe slightly more,\u201d Petr Z\u00e1vodsk\u00fd, chief executive of the Dukovany project, told The Associated Press in an interview.<\/p>\n The nuclear expansion is needed to help the country wean itself off fossil fuels, secure steady and reliable supplies at a reasonable price, meet low emission requirements and enable robust demand for electricity expected in the coming years to power data centers and electric cars, Z\u00e1vodsk\u00fd said.<\/p>\n Europe\u2019s nuclear revival<\/p>\n The Czech expansion comes at a time when surging energy demand and looming deadlines by countries and companies to sharply cut carbon pollution are helping to revive interest in nuclear technology. While nuclear power does produce waste, it does not produce greenhouse gas emissions, like carbon dioxide, the main driver of climate change. <\/p>\n The European Union has accepted nuclear<\/a> by including it in the classification system for environmentally sustainable economic activities, opening the door to financing. That has been a boost for the Czech Republic, Slovakia<\/a>, Hungary<\/a> and France \u2014 the continent\u2019s nuclear leader<\/a> \u2014 that have heavily relied on nuclear.<\/p>\n Belgium and Sweden recently scrapped plans to phase out nuclear power. Denmark and Italy are reconsidering its use, while Poland is set to join a club of 12 nuclear-friendly nations in the European Union after signing a deal with U.S.-based Westinghouse to build three nuclear units<\/a>.<\/p>\n The EU generated 24% of nuclear electricity in 2024.<\/p>\n Britain signed a cooperation deal<\/a> with the United States in September that Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said would lead to \u201ca golden age of nuclear in this country.\u201d It will also invest 14.2 billion pounds ($19 billion)<\/a> to build the Sizewell C nuclear power plant<\/a>, the first in the U.K. since 1995.<\/p>\n CEZ, the dominant Czech power company in which the government holds a 70% stake, and Britain\u2019s Rolls-Royce SMR have agreed on a strategic partnership<\/a> to develop and deploy small modular nuclear reactors. <\/p>\n Money matters<\/p>\n The cost of the Dukovany project is estimated at over $19 billion, with the government agreeing to acquire an 80% majority in the new plant. The government will secure a loan for the new units that CEZ will repay over 30 years. The state will also guarantee a stable income from the electricity production for CEZ for 40 years. Approval is expected to be granted by the EU, which aims to become \u201cclimate-neutral\u201d by 2050.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re in a good position to argue that we won\u2019t be able to do without new nuclear units,\u201d Z\u00e1vodsk\u00fd said. \u201cToday, we get some 40% electricity from nuclear, but we also currently get another 40% from coal. It\u2019s clear we have to replace the coal.\u201d<\/p>\n Uncertainty over financing has caused a significant delay in the nuclear expansion. In 2014, CEZ canceled a tender to build two reactors at the existing Temelin nuclear plant after the government refused to provide financial guarantees. <\/p>\n Russia\u2019s energy giant Rosatom and China\u2019s CNG were excluded<\/a> from the Dukovany tender on security grounds following the Kremlin\u2019s invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n