Press releases pg. 10

Operating income before depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) reached CZK 62.4bn in the first half of the year, up 5% year on year. The year-on-year comparison is affected by extreme fluctuations in commodity prices, especially last year following Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine and the subsequently introduced levies on excess generation sales of CZK 11 billion. These costs almost eliminated the year-on-year increase in selling prices of electricity generated. Net income for H1 2023 reached CZK 22.3bn, down CZK 11.3bn year on year. The decrease was caused by the newly introduced windfall tax of 60 percent, which resulted in more than CZK 13bn charged to costs. CEZ Group confirms its 2023 full-year outlook: EBITDA of CZK 105 to 115bn and adjusted net income of CZK 33 to 37bn. CEZ Group will have paid CZK 110 to 120bn to the Czech state this year in dividends, income taxes and levies on excess generation sales.

*ČEZ has commissioned 56 new stations so far this year
*The construction of ultra-fast charging points continues, with drivers already using 20 of them
*ČEZ will make thousands of stations abroad available to drivers this year through roaming
*Drivers have drawn a record 2.3 million kWh of green electricity from ČEZ stations so far this year
*The amount of electricity drawn per charge is growing
More than 50 new charging points, a 12% year-on-year increase in total emission-free electricity consumption, and a 14% increase in average energy drawn per charge. These are the main contributions by the largest Czech public charging network to the electromobility boom in the Czech Republic. So far this year, ČEZ has increased its total network capacity to 36.3 MW, mainly thanks to the accelerated construction of high-speed stations. Combined with the proliferation of charging points, this means reductions in the time drivers spend charging or waiting to charge. The network is growing thanks to a European grant from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme, funds allocated by the Operational Programme Transport and ČEZ Group's own resources.

Europe's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal launched since the start of the war in Ukraine is running at full capacity. During the first six months of this year, it handled 12 ships carrying liquefied natural gas destined for the Czech Republic. The facility can process up to eight billion cubic metres of gas per year, of which three billion are destined for the Czech Republic, a volume equivalent to more than a third of the Czech Republic's annual consumption. In addition to ČEZ, the terminal is also used by the multinational companies Shell and Engie.

CEZ Group has improved its ESG rating with Morningstar Sustainalytics, one of the world's leading agencies focused on assessing companies from a sustainability perspective. Thanks to a 7.6 point shift, CEZ now ranks among the top quarter of global energy companies best rated by the agency. For investors, banks, or insurance companies, the ratings serve as confirmation that CEZ Group is meeting its ambitious sustainable goals and so can, for example, obtain better financing for its projects.