Press releases pg. 1

The central sections of conveyor belts in strip coal mines could serve as structures for carrying photovoltaic power plants in the future. Normally, these structures are bored into the ground; however, the common solution cannot be used in areas with unstable subsoil, such as spoil heaps, waste ponds, and other unfirm areas. Engineers from PRODECO, a company from the ČEZ Group, have been developing prototypes that are able to cope with moving soil. Moreover, retired mining equipment could get a second life and a new purpose. In pursuing its vision of Clean Energy for Tomorrow, ČEZ Group will build new photovoltaic power plants with a capacity of thousands of MWs by 2030.

Ústí nad Labem Region - The largest local investor will invest CZK 100 bn in the transformation and development of the energy sector in the region by 2030. It will build new heat and electricity sources and contribute to the development of education and the preservation of jobs. Further investments will follow until 2040.
* The ČEZ Group is the most important investor in the Ústí nad Labem Region and generates 7 percent of its GDP. Now ČEZ wants to increase its investments in the region.
* ČEZ wants to invest CZK 100 bn in the region by 2030, which is roughly equivalent to two to three times the region’s annual budget.
* Investments will be made mainly in the construction of new heating and power plants and the provision of long-term heat supplies to existing customers in Ústí, Chomutov, Teplice, Klášterec nad Ohří, Jirkov, Bílina and other towns, the construction of gas-fired power plants and renewable sources, and other development projects such as lithium processing.
* New low- and zero-emission energy sources will replace outdated coal in electricity and heat for decades to come and will contribute to the greening of the region.
* The investment will provide jobs for workers in the coal industry, and ČEZ will also intensify cooperation with schools and in science and research.
* ČEZ plans to bring further investments to the region by 2040, as a part of the development of other sources of electricity and heat, e.g. a small modular reactor in Tušimice.
* One of the investments is the acquisition of a 100% stake in ACTHERM Distribuce, which provides heat distribution from the Prunéřov II power plant in Chomutov.

*ČEZ green power plants produced over 860,000 MWh of emission-free energy
*The same amount of electricity would cover the consumption of 245,000 households
*Growth was driven by more efficient modernised hydro sources, other types of sources also prospered
*The different types of power plants confirmed that their production complements each other well
Ongoing hydropower plant upgrades, higher flows in Czech rivers and more sunny and windy days in the first quarter of this year. These are the main reasons for year-on-year growth in ČEZ’s green power plant production in the Czech Republic by almost one third. From January to March, hydro and wind turbines, along with photovoltaic panels, delivered more than a third of what they did for the whole of last year to the grid. The green energy produced would fully cover the yearly consumption of four regional capitals with 100,000 residents in the Czech Republic. In the future, ČEZ plans to increase production mainly in photovoltaic and wind power plants. As part of its Clean Energy of Tomorrow vision, it will build thousands of MW of new renewable power plants.

CEZ Group production continues becoming greener. Last year, the company reduced direct greenhouse gas emissions by 12% year on year, which corresponds to a saving of approximately 2.2 million tonnes of CO2. CEZ is on a good track to achieve its goal of climate neutrality by 2040. Simultaneously, the biggest Czech utility increased investments in taxonomy-aligned activities: last year, they accounted for over two-thirds of all investments, up by CZK 4.7 billion year on year. Recent ESG statistics are presented in the new CEZ Group Sustainability Report 2023. It presents close to 300 diverse environmental, social, and governance indicators.