The ten-year modernisation project must also avoid any negative impact on the continued stable operation of the units.
Czech company ZAT will be responsible for the delivery of its SandRA (Safe and Reliable Automation) control systems, and the technical concept of the project, which it has been working on since 2020. Fellow Czech company I&C Energo, which has been operating in Dukovany since 1993 and participated in most of its major modernisation work, will provide installation, commissioning and engineering services.
Bohdan Zronek, Director of ČEZ’s nuclear energy division, said: “We invest an average of approximately CZK7 billion(USD 333 million) a year in our nuclear power plants. The goal is to strengthen efficiency, safety and ensure long-term operation. And the replacement of the Dukovany control system elements falls into this area.”
Background
The Czech Republic gets about one-third of its electricity from nuclear generation – it has four VVER-440 units currently at Dukovany, which began operating between 1985 and 1987. The ongoing modernisation work aims to ensure the units can operate for at least 60 years, to 2045-2047.
There are also two units at the Temelin Nuclear Power Plant. A CZK407 billion (USD18.6 billion) contract was signed with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power last year for two of its APR1000 reactors near the existing Dukovany units. The aim is to start construction in 2029.
