The nuclear power industry will continue to be a stable source of electrical energy in the future
Nuclear technologies shaped the history of mankind in the second half of the twentieth century. There is nothing to compare with nuclear power today. It is reliable, ecological, safe and efficient. I am glad that our company is a leader in this area and I am convinced that at least in the twenty-first century nuclear energy will still be the best choice
Nuclear technologies shaped the history of mankind in the second half of the twentieth century. There is nothing to compare with nuclear power today. It is reliable, ecological, safe and efficient. I am glad that our company is a leader in this area and I am convinced that at least in the twenty-first century nuclear energy will still be the best choice.
I chose this field while studying at university. It was partly due to the influence of such an exceptional personality as Professor František Dubšek, but mainly due to my faith in the future and the potential of nuclear power. I was lucky to have joined the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant after graduating in 1996, where I had a unique opportunity to personally participate in such an impressive work as the construction and commissioning of a new nuclear unit. I had the opportunity to learn from the masters of their field, who had many years of experience in building units in Czechoslovakia. We worked in an environment where hardly anybody believed in our success and so the feeling was even sweeter when we delivered the first electricity from Unit 1 to the grid. In a way, I envy my colleagues from Slovakia, who are in a similar situation today. And I wish our successors to experience these feelings in future, ideally in the construction of a new nuclear source in the Czech Republic.
We participate in the construction, operation, maintenance and modernization of nuclear units
For almost 65 years we have been operating in the field which is an example of how the results of scientific research can be widely used in practice. At the end of 2019, 444 nuclear reactors with a total installed capacity of 395,756 MWe were in operation in 30 countries around the world, according to World Nuclear Association statistics. 55 are under construction in 17 countries. In the European Union, approximately one third of the electricity generated comes from nuclear power plants. Throughout Europe, nuclear power plants are being built in Belarus, Finland, France, Russia and Slovakia, and construction is being prepared in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, United Kingdom, Turkey and Ukraine. In the Czech Republic, approximately one third of the electricity generated comes from nuclear power plants, and this share is expected to increase to more than 50% with the end of service life of coal resources.
We have participated significantly in production, assembly and commissioning of all six reactors in the Czech Republic. Now we ensure their complete maintenance and modernization, we have contributed to extending their service life and increasing performance, together with the operator we solve the usual and new tasks in ensuring operation. We are pleased that a schedule has been set for the preparation of the construction of new nuclear sources. In 2009–2014, during preparation of the overall bid for the Temelín power plant completion, we verified and proved that we can manage such a complex and demanding project. At the Mochovce NPP we are currently gaining experience in working in the conditions of the latest European legislation and technical standards, we are one of two companies familiarized with such a project today. We are confident that we will have the opportunity to apply our experience and know-how in the construction of new capacities in the Czech Republic.
We are ready to contribute to the Czech Republic having a modern and efficient energy mix consisting of nuclear sources, water, gas and steam-gas power plants and a growing share of renewable sources, especially photovoltaics.
We offer confidence and perspectiv
Continuity is one of our key parameters. We are one of the oldest and at the same time most modern companies in the field worldwide. We can draw on our own experience and technological solutions as well as on those of other companies, we can build on them and develop them. We follow development and actively participate in it.
Our team formed during this development. Sharing experience and transferring knowledge has been a key factor. A significant part of our competitive advantage today is not in machines and computers, but in the strength of the team. We love our work, we believe in its perspective and we can work hard.
Nuclear power is also evolving and new resources are coming, and the reactors built in previous decades are gradually coming to an end. Decommissioning will also be part of the industry in the forthcoming years. We participate in such a project in Jaslovské Bohunice, Slovakia. As the power plants´ reactor fleet will be renewed, opportunities in this field will increase.
So today we can offer our employees and our future colleagues, who are just preparing or considering working with us, a certainty of a modern company in a high-tech field and with a guaranteed perspective going beyond the mid-21st century.