Temelín Nuclear Power Station

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Active reactors ( gross ):

Set construction ( gross ):

The nuclear power plant Temelin ( Czech Jaderná elektrárna Temelín, abbreviated JETE, more rarely, JET or ETE ) is a nuclear power plant near Temelín in the Czech Republic. It is the largest power plant in the Czech Republic in terms of performance with 2026 MW.

• 3.1 The reactor building
• 3.2 reliability

• 4.1 Protests by the Czech side
• 4.2 Protests by Austria 4.2.1 Melk Protocol
• 4.2.2 Protests of the state of Upper Austria

Location

The power plant is located near the village of Temelin, 24 km north of České Budějovice in Southern Bohemia, Czech Republic and is 50 km from the Austrian and 60 km from the German border. The site of the power plant is 1.45 km ², of which 1.23 km ² fenced. About the railway line Číčenice - Tyn nad Vltavou, the power plant is connected to the rail network.

The area was suitable for the placement of the nuclear power plant in many ways: The power plant is located near the Vltava River (5 miles west) and the purpose built dam Hněvkovice, which is important because of the high water demand of the turbines and the cooling system. It is so high up (500 m above sea level. Above sea level) that no flood hazard exists. The area is geologically stable and seismically quiet ( Bohemian Massif ).

In economic and energy terms is important that Temelín can supply regions by its placement in the south of the country, from other sources of energy (by a coal-fired power plants in Northern Bohemia ) are far away.

History

Construction of the power plant

1979-1980, the decision to build a power plant, which should consist of four WWER-1000/320-Druckwasserreaktoren. Construction began in March 1987. In 1990, the new government of Prime Minister Marián Čalfa decided to reduce the project and to complete only two reactor blocks. There was then a revaluation of the investment. Since the Soviet reactor design with Western standards in reactor was not 100 % compatible, many components had to be rescheduled because the Czech government took an international tender of the project.

The project has been reviewed several times by the IAEA and approved, subject to certain amendments, such as the installation of a modern digital security system or the construction of a power plant simulator for feasible. With the execution of the project, the U.S. company Westinghouse was contracted. From 5 July 2000, the first unit was ready for commissioning. On 9 October 2000, he was first put into operation on 8 April 2003, the second block. In the years 2000-2005 it was in the NPP to 15 disturbances (level 1, the lowest level INES ).

Following a tendering process signed on 16 May 2006, the operator CEZ signed a contract with the Russian company TWEL for the supply of nuclear fuel from 2010. At this time the previous contract with the American company Westinghouse expired. ČEZ concerns of TWEL been the fuel for the Dukovany nuclear power plant.

Expansion plans

Since late 2007, the ČEZ intends to build two more reactors. Reason for this is that it could lead to energy problems in the coming years and the expansion of Temelín is the cheapest solution. From 22 September to 11 October 2008, the cross-border preliminary Environmental Impact Assessment ( EIA short ) in accordance with the Espoo Convention was held in Bavaria and Saxony. The EIA involves the construction of two reactors before a performance 1000-1600 MW. The anti-nuclear officer of the country Austria, Radko Pavlovec, criticized the Reaktorbaulinien that are being considered for the project, since none of these lines has already been tested in operation. In early August 2009, the bidding process was opened for the construction of the reactor units. Environmental groups from Austria, Bavaria and the Czech Republic hope to prevent by protests against a repository in the Czech Republic the expansion of the plant.

In May 2013, the Czech Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek expressed doubts about the economic viability of the development. The expansion is in the present circumstances " an economically extremely risky investment " which causes the security that the building also amortisiere, had declined. Thus also the future operator, the energy company CEZ had requested doubts about the profitability and therefore a State guarantee. This is to cover the difference between the electricity production costs of the power plant and the market price, if the plant can not produce at market prices and could be costly, according to Kalousek the state. Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg called for a recalculation of the economy. While the stock market electricity prices are significantly fallen, there had been price increases in the development of power plants due to new security measures due to the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Prime Minister Petr Necas and Economics Minister Martin Kuba criticized these statements and called for the new building. In July 2013, the Czech government put the plans on hold.

Specifications

On the approximately 125 -acre site of the nuclear power plant are in addition to general facilities such as the administration building, the training or education building, the workshops and the security center many facilities that are necessary for the operation of such a facility. For example, buildings for cooling water treatment, warehouses and four cooling towers with a height of 155 m each and a diameter of 130 m available.

In case of faults are available, inter alia, the emergency power supply, consisting of diesel generators, a fire station and a private clinic.

The reactor building

The heart of the power plant consists of two blocks which are operated separately. Each block consists of a reactor building and a machine building.

The reactor building are accessible only by security bridges, and each containing a block wait. Working in each block waiting around the clock a block head and two operators.

In each reactor building is also home to the containment with a wall thickness of 1.2 m, the inner diameter of 45 m, height 38 m and an 8 mm thick steel liner. The containment is hermetically sealed and contains the entire active portion of the power plant, so the reactor and all associated systems, as well as the entire primary circuit.

The two pressurized water reactors at the power plant are VVER 1000/320 and each have a thermal capacity of 3000 MW. According to the operator CEZ all safety-relevant equipment of the reactor building are triple redundant.

The current coming from the reactor buildings steam is passed in the respective engine room through a turbine. Overall, it can be achieved per block a power of about 1013 MW. In turbo-generators, an electrical voltage of 24 kV is generated, which is then transformed to 400 kV and directed to the two kilometers away Kočín switchgear.

Reliability

The Power Reactor Information System of the IAEA, the operating data of the reactors at Temelin will be published, including documented the "Operating Factor," the proportion of operating time with power supply of the total period of one year.

Both reactors are significantly more likely than other modern pressurized water reactors not ready to generate electricity. Block 1 achieved over its total operating time an average operating factor of 63.14 %, Block 2 an operating factor of 76%. The nuclear power plant is thus rely on its degree of utilization ago about the German nuclear power plant Biblis comparable ( Block A: 68%, Block B: 73%). Other modern pressurized water reactors such as the Korean OPR -1000, the Canadian Candu 6 or the German convoy achieve application efficiencies of around 90 %.

Opposition to the power plant

The construction and operation of the power plant caused a variety of protests and a temporary deterioration in the political climate between the Czech Republic and neighboring Austria.

Protests by the Czech side

Right at the start of preparations used a first protests, which were mainly individual nature and to oppose uncompensated home demolitions and financial disadvantage. According to a 1987 survey conducted in České Budějovice, the majority of citizens criticized a lack of information on power plant construction. After the turn, although environmental impact assessments of construction projects by law were required, however, the government will move to the position that the power plant had already been approved in 1986 and therefore no EIA would be required. The EIA was eventually applied after protests in the Czech Republic within the framework of the Melk Protocol on the nuclear power plant. In the years after 1998, there were several organized protests on the Czech side, which were initiated by various citizens' initiatives. 1991, on the fifth anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, it came to the biggest action: the organization "Children of Earth" from Prague, " South Bohemian Mothers" and the " Budweiser League of conservationists ' organized a march of Tyn nad Vltavou to the construction site. In a signature campaign in 2000 70.000 signatures for a referendum on the nuclear power plant were collected, but there was no parliamentary vote on the issue.

According to opinion polls, the power plant has been advocated on the Czech side at all times by at least half of the population, in 2000, the agreement was, for example, at 71 percent.

Protests from the Austrian side

The critical attitude to nuclear power in Austria is to vote on the commissioning of the already completed nuclear power plant Zwentendorf (1978 ) and became significantly enhanced by the Chernobyl disaster (1986). As a result, it came to be that the concerns of the population were picked up and exploited on the cross near the power plant and a nuclear contamination in the event of an accident of political parties. There were border blockades, marches and organized a referendum " vetoed Temelin " in 2001 by the Freedom Party, the latter was signed by 900,000 people. Was linked to the topic with the inclusion of the Czech Republic to the EU, which ran at the same time and which was strongly advocated by Austria. Was the order not to jeopardize the EU enlargement "Melk Process" initiated which should solve questions and problems surrounding the Temelin nuclear power plant. The Czech Republic and nine other former Eastern bloc countries joined the EU on 1 May 2004.

Melk Protocol

( Often referred to inaccurate " Melk Agreement " ) in the " Melk Protocol " on negotiations between the Austrian Federal Government and the Czech Government in 2001 conditions for continuous operation Temelín were in formulated - mainly an environmental impact assessment of Temelín according to European guidelines and better information of the Austrian Federal Government ( especially at INES -1 faults). Originally, the Melk Protocol should be included in the Treaty of Accession of the Czech Republic to the EU and thus anchored at EU level; this was rejected by the United Kingdom. Thus, the protocol was a bilateral agreement between Austria and the Czech Republic. At start of full operation in Temelín in 2006, an application was decided, at the request of the Upper Austrian deputies in the National Council, which called on the government to an international lawsuit against the Czech Republic due to non- compliance with the Protocol. It was found that the government had no appeal to lodge such a complaint.

Protests of the state of Upper Austria

The Austrian state of Upper Austria borders, among others, South Bohemia. Due to the proximity to the Temelín nuclear power plant, the state government of Upper Austria is making for years resistance to this plant, which they referred to as " risk reactor".

Opinion in 2013

In August 2013 Dieter Majer finished ( Deputy Director retired, Head of Department " Safety of Nuclear Installations " at the Federal Environment Ministry until his retirement in 2011) a paper entitled Potential weaknesses in the primary circuit of the Czech nuclear power plant Temelin 1 (created on behalf of the Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentary group ). It shows how unprofessional one of the main welds on the reactor pressure vessel ( it must have 300 degrees C. and about 160 bar pressure resist; radiation makes the steel more brittle over time always ) was reviewed.

The chairman of the bipartisan " Platform against Temelin ," Gerhard Albrecht, Altmaier invited to send experts to study the weld - risk by Temelin. The Greens have accused the Federal Environment Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU ) to ignore doubts about the safety of the Czech nuclear power plant Temelin. They focus explicitly on this during the election campaign for the parliamentary elections on 22 September 2013, and the Bavarian State Parliament (September 15 ).

Data of the reactor units

The Temelín nuclear power plant has two blocks: