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CEZ has introduced a plan for the Tusimice Power Plant renewal

25. 3. 2005

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CEZ has introduced a plan for the Tusimice Power Plant renewal

A modern coal-fired plant (owing to very low emissions) does not need a chimney any more. There is a radical modernization in store for the Tusimice Coal-fired Plant. CEZ has today informed representatives of the region about its plan for the plant renewal right in Tusimice. Jiri Borovec, a member of the CEZ Board and Director of the Production Division, said at the gathering: "There are only a few more years of operation for most of our existing coal-fired plants. We are beginning to work at their renewal and we must talk about that with the representatives of the region as well. The Tusimice Plant is the first to be renewed."

Most of the current CEZ´s power plants date to the end of 60s and the beginning of 70s of last century. Ten years ago they were desulphurized and modernized. As a result their lifetime was prolonged by 10-15 years. Most of them will thus end their operation between 2010 and 1015. A renewal of a particular plant depends mainly on the sufficient supply of coal during its entire lifetime. "In case of a brand-new power plant we need coal for another 40 years from the moment of its start-up, we expect a 25 year operation in case of radical modernization with installation of new technologies,? explained Jiri Borovec. "Due to the limited coal resources, though, the coal resources cannot be renewed on present scale," added Borovec.  The modernization of Tusimice will be comprehensive and will replace the whole current capacity of 4x200 MW by new technology with a lifetime of 25 years. The nearby Libous mine will have sufficient coal capacity, which will be available for the period within the existing territorial extend. The coal, which is at disposal for the future utilization, is of markedly lower quality than the current coal. The used technology must therefore be adapted to this fact, and it must cope with lower fuel efficiency and with higher content of sulphur in the future fuel. 

The new plant will be equipped with modern boilers with the total combustion efficiency (38%) which is higher than the 33 % efficiency of the current plant. Owing to this fact and other measures the ecological parameters of the new plant will be markedly better. "The "new? Tusimice will, again, reduce all emissions, in comparison with the current situation, which entirely satisfies all strict European standards. As a result the new plant will not need a chimney," stressed Otakar Rydl, director of the Resource Renewal section, and explained that desulphurized combustion products will be conducted to cooling towers.  The new technology will bring reduction of emissions of CO2 by 15 %, SO2 by 70 %, NOX by 65 % and fly ash by 40 %.

According to CEZ´s plans, the building operations on the comprehensive modernization of the first two units of the plant should start in the second half of 2007, and of another two units in the middle of 2009. We assume to launch new operation at the beginning of 2009 res. at the end of 2010. "The building operations and installation of new technologies for two 200 MW units will take about 18 months each," said Rydl. Those must be preceded by finalization of the preparation of the building plan documentation, which is being prepared for CEZ by Skoda Praha, at the same time permission proceedings including assessing impacts on environment, so called EIA, are underway. "As a Czech company we want to support most regional firms, Czech suppliers and Czech supplies in the process of choosing suppliers," stated director Rydl. The price of the entire investment is estimated at 15 billion CZK.

About 200 employees will get a job directly in the plant, but its operation will employ another hundreds, or rather thousands of workers in the coal-mining industry and other services and maintenance activities within the whole region.

Ladislav Kriz, Press Officer, CEZ, a. s.