CEZ Prepares to Replace Russian Fuel at Temelin Nuclear Plant

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Czech state-owned energy company CEZ AS (PSE:CEZ) (Prague) has contracted Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Monroeville, Pennsylvania) to supply fuel assemblies for the Temelin nuclear power plant.

The contract forms a key part in the country's strategy to reduce its dependency on Russian nuclear fuel. Westinghouse will supply six Lead Test Assemblies (LTAs) for the plant. Temelin has two Russian-designed VVER 1000 reactors and is the largest power plant in the Czech Republic, with a total generation capacity of just over 2,100 megawatts (MW).

Westinghouse said that the Temelin plant has a "unique fuel design operating currently" and that careful testing with the limited introduction of new fuel will have to be carried out over a two-year period. Lead test assemblies are placed in an operating core in order to assess fuel compatibility issues. Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB will oversee the project with the LTAs to be manufactured at its production facility in Vasteras, Sweden.

Westinghouse senior vice president, Nuclear Fuel and Components Manufacturing, José Emeterio Gutiérrez commented: "The decision by CEZ to launch an LTA program for its Temelin nuclear power station is significant. It demonstrates that CEZ is serious about taking measures to improve its security of supply through a diversification of its nuclear fuel sources. We also believe this most recent order reflects CEZ's confidence in the quality, reliability and competitiveness of Westinghouse VVER-1000 fuel."

Last year, Europe's efforts to secure its energy supplies from non-Russian sources took a step forward when the European Union (EU) agreed to fund a consortium, led by Westinghouse, to supply nuclear fuel for Russian-designed reactors. EU member states Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary and Slovakia operate 18 Russian-designed reactors in total: four VVER-1000 and 14 VVER-440 reactors. For additional information, see July 7, 2015, article - Europe Seeks Alternative Nuclear Fuel Supplies from Westinghouse.

Westinghouse, which has two of its 10 nuclear fuel-manufacturing locations in Europe, is the largest supplier of nuclear fuel in Europe and the only other fuel manufacturer for VVER-type reactors.

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