Conclusion of a Consortium Agreement for the Tender for Temelin Nuclear Power Plant Completion Project
Date: 27. 10. 2009
On October 27, 2009, a meeting of the Steering Committee of a consortium comprising of ŠKODA JS a.s., JSC Atomstroyexport and OKB Gidropress was held in relation to the tender for construction of two units at the Temelín nuclear power plant, for which the consortium is going to offer a design named MIR.1200 (Modernized International Reactor with power output of 1200 MWe).
On October 14, 2009, three significant companies, one Czech and two Russian ones, experienced in design and turn-key construction of nuclear power plants, concluded a consortium agreement with the aim to:
- submit qualification documentation on the ground of assignment by electricity company
ČEZ a.s. - elaborate a competitive bid
- succeed in the public tender for “Completion of the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant”.
The tender shall result in selection of a supplier of two complete nuclear power units (Unit 3&4 of Temelín NPP) with a pressurized light-water reactor design concept (a PWR-type reactor), each unit with power output higher than 1000 MWe, by means of a turn-key supply, including the supply of fresh fuel. A very important fact is that the tender includes an option right of ČEZ a.s. for construction of up to three similar nuclear power reactors in a different potential locality in Europe.
The Steering Committee meeting was held in the presence of the highest representatives of the management of the three companies with a clear goal – to get closely acquainted with the status of qualification documentation preparation and to confirm readiness of the Consortium, whose leader is ŠKODA JS a.s., for qualification. At the meeting, ŠKODA JS a.s. was represented by Miroslav Fiala, the Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Manager, and Manfred M. Nowak, the Vice-Chairman of the Board and President; JSC Atomstroyexport was represented by Timur Ivanov, the First Vice-President, and on behalf of OKB Gidropress Sergey B. Ryzhov, the Chief Designer, was present.
The representatives of all the three companies confirmed their deep interest in participation in the construction of the Temelín nuclear power plant. At the same time, the representatives declared their intention to maximally involve Czech companies upon implementation of the MIR.1200 design, which elaborates on previous VVER designs.
The MIR.1200 design is a result of evolutionary development of VVER technology, which is, in international practice, ranked among designs of nuclear power plants with PWR-type pressurized water reactors. Experience in operation of such nuclear power plants amounts to more than 200 reactor-years. At present, modernized nuclear power plants with VVER-1000 type reactors are operated in China (two power units), seven VVER-1000/1200 type units are under construction in Russia and five nuclear power units are being constructed abroad.
The modernized design stems from the original V-320 design (the 2 existing units at Temelín NPP), upon whose construction and operation broad experience was obtained and subsequently applied to the present modernized type. Experience in the field of actual cooperation among suppliers from Russia and Central Europe, where the key role was taken by companies from the Czech Republic, was also gained. The technical indicators of reliability and operational safety of the offered reactors have been proved in practice; service lifetime, chosen construction materials as well as other important parts of the design have been verified. This design solution represents an essential advantage for Czech and Slovak companies, which are well acquainted with VVER technology and therefore may base on projects and supplies implemented in past.
The representatives of the Consortium also announce the intention of state nuclear corporation “Rosatom” to offer construction of a plant for nuclear fuel manufacture and procurement in the Czech Republic, and also inform on the fact that Rosatom is ready to provide recollection of spent fuel from the newly constructed units. For the Czech Republic, this would significantly simplify the issue of future storage of spent nuclear fuel.