Press releases pg. 5

The Czech Republic continues to bolster its energy self-sufficiency, by reducing the country’s energy-dependence on Russia. Today, a ceremony was held to commence construction on Germany’s first onshore LNG terminal for the processing and further transport of natural gas, situated near Hamburg, at the mouth of the River Elbe on the North Sea. Led by the Hanseatic Energy Hub consortium, the terminal will be commissioned in 2027. In cooperation with the government, ČEZ Group entered into contracts last year to secure a long-term annual capacity of 2 billion cubic metres at Stade.

The energy-saving measures that CEZ adopted in its offices in 2022, in response to the energy crisis, have worked: in more than a hundred administrative buildings that CEZ owns throughout the Czech Republic, heat consumption was reduced by 7% year on year. That accounts for nearly one-half of all the savings achieved in the last six years. Electricity consumption in the energy company’s offices has dropped by a full 23% since 2018. Thanks to the savings, the company is saving more than CZK 26 million per year in energy costs. CEZ Group will continue with energy-saving measures: for example, selected office buildings will be fitted with photovoltaic power plants over the course of the next few years.

Elektrárna Dukovany II (EDU II), a wholly owned subsidiary of ČEZ, submitted its evaluation report to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT), evaluating bids for the construction of a new nuclear unit at Dukovany. In the report, it recommended the ranking, proposing its preferred supplier of a new nuclear unit or units. The Government of the Czech Republic will now issue its statement as to with whom ČEZ will negotiate the final form of the contracts.

Yesterday in the evening, the Unit 1 of Temelín NPP started to produce electricity again. Operators have connected it to the transmission system after replacing a quarter of the fuel assemblies. Power engineers also checked the safety systems the turbine an its generator. In total, they managed almost twenty thousand activities during the shutdown, including 66 investment actions. Together with the Dukovany power plant, all six nuclear units are currently in operation. The Unit 2 of the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant is now planned to be shut down for the inspection and refueling.