Czech Republic - World Nuclear Outlook Report

Projection of future nuclear capacity in the Czech Republic in 2050

A 2011 draft national energy policy to 2060 involved a major increase in nuclear power, to 13.9 GWe or – in the case of major adoption of electric vehicles – up to 18.9 GWe. The version adopted in November 2012 assumed at least 50% of the country’s power would be provided by nuclear, with two new reactors being built at Temelin and one at Dukovany.

The 2015 national energy policy reiterated most of the plans outlined in 2012, with one new reactor at Dukovany and two at Temelin, but without any state guarantee on electricity prices. In the plan new nuclear capacity of 2500 MWe was to be added by 2035, and more thereafter, making nuclear the main source of electricity production with its share rising from 35% to between 46% and 58% in 2040.

In a speech in December 2019 the Czech prime minister stated that construction on the country's next unit – at Dukovany – was now expected to begin in 2029, with the reactor in operation by 2036, bringing nuclear's share of electricity to 40% by 2040.⁹⁰

Long-term operation

At the beginning of 2009, CEZ commenced its long-term operation (LTO) project, the immediate focus of which was to extend the planned operating lifetimes of the four Dukovany reactors by 10 years. In March 2016 unit 1 was licensed for continued operation indefinitely subject to ongoing reporting, followed by units 2-4 in 2017.

In June 2020 CEZ stated that it expects to invest about $2.3 billion over the next 27 years to extend the operating lifetimes of the four reactors at Dukovany by a further 20 years to a total of 60, which would see the last unit retire in 2047.

New capacity

Large-scale reactors

In mid-2016 CEZ asked the Ministry of the Environment to begin the environmental impact assessment process for two new units at Dukovany. Application for a construction permit is envisaged in 2028. The government’s National Action Plan for the Development of the Nuclear Energy Sector in the Czech Republic adopted in June 2015 said that Dukovany 5 has priority over Temelin in order to maintain production at the site after the old reactors are retired about 2047.

In March 2020 CEZ announced that it had submitted a licence application for two new PWRs up to 1200 MWe each at Dukovany.

In April 2024, the European Commission (EC) approved a state aid mechanism enabling the funding of the construction and operation of the fifth unit at Dukovany. As part of this mechanism the power plant’s owner, ČEZ (which is 70% government-owned), is to receive a loan from the state of up to around €7.74 billion for the construction of the new unit.

The French and South Korean bidders, plus Westinghouse, had submitted binding bids in October 2024 for the new unit at Dukovany and non-binding offers for up to three more units – a sixth at Dukovany and two at Temelin. However, in February 2024, the Czech government announced it was changing the tender to be binding offers for four new units, with Westinghouse’s bid ruled out. The Czech government selected KHNP as its preferred bidder in July 2024 for two APR1000 units at Dukovany. According to KHNP they would be eligible to sign additional contracts for the two Dukovany units if the Czech government decides within the next three years to proceed with Temelin units 3&4⁹¹.

In April 2025⁹² the Czech Minister for Industry and Trade said a contract between CEZ and reactor vendor Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power for the construction of two reactors at CEZ's Dukovany plant site has been finalized.

In August 2025 a ceremony was held at Dukovany to mark start of a detailed site survey in preparation for the construction of two Korean-supplied APR1000s there.

Small-scale reactors

Under a strategic partnership agreed in October 2024, CEZ and the UK’s Rolls-Royce SMR would cooperate on developing and building Rolls-Royce SMR’s 470 MWe units in the Czech Republic, UK and internationally. Under the agreement, CEZ would acquire a 20% stake in Rolls-Royce SMR.

The first unit is planned to be completed at Temelin by 2035. A further five units would be built in the Czech Republic by 2050.