It will not be long before the power station’s staff places the last pieces of black coal in the boilers of the Dětmarovice Power Plant. The construction of new low-emission, high-efficiency sources is therefore well underway. ČEZ has already commissioned the first backup and peak 18 MWt gas boiler plant in the location. Additional sources are in the pipeline: an 8 MWt biomass boiler plant, two 10 MWt cogeneration units and a 3 x 9 MWt gas-fired backup and peak boiler plant. It is these sources that will ensure reliable heat supplies for large customers in the area connected to the central heat supply system – especially for Bohumín and Orlová – for the next decades. Today, both large towns confirmed their interest in maintaining the tried-and-tested central heat supply system by signing long-term contracts with ČEZ for heat supplies until at least 2040.
“ČEZ has long been one of the major investors in the Moravian-Silesian Region and we want to strengthen our position here in the coming years. Our main objective is to maintain the benefits of central heat supplies for our customers. We modernised the heating and power plant in Vítkovice, which switched from coal to gas, and this year we launched the largest battery system in the Czech Republic. In Dětmarovice, we are also moving away from coal and here we will also ensure heat supplies for our customers from new sources for the next decades. We are also working to make the Moravian-Silesian Region a true centre of the modern power industry. We are preparing a small modular reactor project in Dětmarovice and are also gradually building solar and wind power plants in the region. These projects of ours should help to ensure a long-term competitive energy price for all,” said Pavel Cyrani, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors at ČEZ.
“After decades of safe operations, the central supply system for households and companies in the Moravian-Silesian Region is synonymous with reliable heat supplies. We see its continuation and ensuring heat supplies from new green sources as the number one priority. I am therefore pleased that ČEZ and Bohumín and Orlová have agreed on further cooperation. For me personally, this is a confirmation that in ČEZ our region has a responsible and reliable partner who wants to participate intensively in the future development of the region and in improving the quality of the environment in our region. The modern energy industry demanding specific professions is also a chance for employment and the retention of at least some of the jobs from the coal industry, which is coming to an end,” said Josef Bělica, Governor of the Moravian-Silesian Region.
By 2040, ČEZ plans to invest tens of billions of crowns in the Moravian-Silesian Region in the construction of new green electricity and heat sources. The development of the modern energy sector in the region will bring new jobs for employees of coal businesses that are closing. This target is in line with the government’s plan to transform coal-fired sites into low-emission sites in the context of phasing out coal in the power industry.
“After half a century, the era of coal-fired heating will end in Dětmarovice, and will smoothly merge into the start of operations of green sources. We will replace coal with a combination of biomass and natural gas. The output from the new heat sources will exceed 70 MW and will guarantee stable heat supplies to existing customers. We are glad that Bohumín and Orlová are continuing with us on the journey to a new stage in the heating industry in the region, because their interest gives the whole project the necessary certainty,” said Martin Hančar, Director of the Dětmarovice Power Plant.
ČEZ has been working on the transformation of Dětmarovice into a modern low-emission heat source for several years. The first of the two new gas boiler plants, which are to act as backup and peak sources in the future, started trial operations here in December 2022. The main year-round sources will be an 8 MWt biomass boiler plant and two cogeneration units with a total output of 20 MWt. The tender for the contractor to build the cogeneration units, biomass boiler plant and central power station has been completed.
“In Orlová, nearly 9,000 flats use long-distance heating, and maintaining supplies from the new, more environmentally friendly Dětmarovice plant is therefore crucial for us. I’m glad that thanks to the agreement with ČEZ, we will preserve the benefits of central heat supplies for decades to come for as many of our citizens as possible,” said Orlová Mayor Lenka Brzyszkowská.
“More than five thousand households in Bohumín receive long-distance heat from Dětmarovice. We are pleased that we are continuing our tried-and-tested cooperation with ČEZ and have secured heat supplies to our customers for a long time to come. Thanks to the fact that the heat will come from new green sources, we can make our region a better place to live together,” said Bohumín Mayor Petr Vícha.
ČEZ is continuously greening the heating and power industry in the Moravian-Silesian Region and building a modern energy centre in the region through ČEZ ESCO, which has already greened the Vítkovice heating and power plant in the Moravian-Silesian Region. Two boilers fired by black coal were replaced by a gas-fired boiler plant with three boilers and cogeneration units. The continuation of this modernisation of the Vítkovice site was the launch this year of the largest Czech battery with an output of 10 MW, which helps stabilise the region’s energy network. ČEZ ESCO employs more than 500 people in the Moravian-Silesian Region, and its key subsidiaries ČEZ Energetické služby and ČEZ Energo are based here. The region is also home to Envez, a joint venture between ČEZ ESCO and the City of Havířov, which aims to modernise the heating and power sector in Havířov with an emphasis on the use of renewable sources and smart technologies. The ENESA subsidiary is also preparing the largest ever urban energy-saving project in Moravia for Havířov.
“We’re glad that Bohumín and Orlová have clearly declared their interest in cooperation with ČEZ, which represents safe and stable heat supplies for the next decades. We want to be a reliable energy partner at all levels in the Moravian-Silesian Region, literally the first place that cities and companies turn to when dealing with their energy futures. The whole region has a chance to become a centre for modern green energy and transport thanks to cooperation with ČEZ. We have built the largest battery in the Czech Republic, we are building renewable energy sources here and the region saves tens of millions of crowns a year thanks to our energy saving projects,” added Kamil Čermák, CEO of ČEZ ESCO and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of ČEZ Teplárenská.
New ČEZ heat and electricity sources in the Moravian-Silesian Region (details):
Dětmarovice: 8 MW biomass boiler plant, two 10 MW cogeneration units and a 3 x 9 MW gas-fired backup and peak boiler plant (in preparation), 18 MW gas-fired backup and peak boiler plant (in operation),
Ostrava-Vítkovice: trio of low-emission gas boilers for heat production + largest battery in the Czech Republic with a storage capacity of over 10 MW to stabilise the Czech power system (completed)
Photovoltaic power plants: 37 photovoltaic projects with an installed capacity of 798 MWp in preparation
Wind parks: in the Bruntál and Opava regions, e.g. in Zátor near Krnov, ČEZ and the municipality have agreed on a plan to build a wind power plant with an output of about 30 MW, comprising about 7 turbines (to be implemented by 2030).
Havířov: EPC energy-saving project (50 energy-saving measures in 22 buildings or premises owned by the city, e.g. installation of photovoltaics on the roofs of city hall, homes for the elderly and 14 primary schools, replacement of existing lighting with modern LED luminaires – annual guaranteed savings of CZK 15 m), the future of the heating industry in Havířov after 2026 (a project for greening and modernisation of the power sector in Havířov is being handled by ENVEZ, a joint venture between Havířov and ČEZ ESCO).
Distribution: Further investment will go into strengthening safety and upgrading distribution networks.
