US nuclear company Westinghouse has made its first shipments of new nuclear fuel to Czechia as the country pushes to replace the Russian state agency Rosatom and its arm TVEL, on which Czech nuclear power plants (NPPs) relied for years.

Prague launched a major overhaul of the country’s energy reliance on Russia following the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia. 

“First delivery of new nuclear fuel arrived at Temelín [NPP],” Daniel Beneš, CEO of the majority state-owned utility ČEZ, which operates Temelín and the older Dukovany NPP, wrote on his LinkedIn social media account.

“For Westinghouse, it is a return to Temelín after fifteen years,” Beneš also wrote, adding that with the move “ČEZ is replacing the existing Russian supplier, company TVEL”.

Beneš also pointed out that this year, Westinghouse will also start deliveries to Dukovany, and that next year, French Framatome will begin nuclear fuel deliveries.

“Besides diversification of suppliers of nuclear fuel, we hold strategic reserves in both of our NPPs,” Beneš concluded in his post from May 23.

As bne IntelliNews reported, in March 2023, ČEZ announced that Westinghouse will replace TVEL as Dukovany’s fuel supplier, while Westinghouse and Framatome had earlier replaced TVEL as the fuel supplier to Temelin, having concluded contracts with both companies for Temelín fuel deliveries in 2022.

Czechia is also pushing to enhance its nuclear capacities, but the major €16bn Dukovany tender faces more delays after a regional court in Brno blocked the signing of the contract between the Czech side and the South Korean Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) as one of the two unsuccessful bidders, French Électricité de France (EDF) filed a lawsuit against the selection of KHNP.

The European Commission also reportedly launched a preliminary review of the tender under the foreign subsidy rules, and the EC spokesperson for competition Lea Zuber confirmed “technical” talks are in place.

“Talks are taking place and it is very difficult to estimate time frame or results,” Zuber was quoted as saying by Czech Radio (CRo) and other Czech media in response to journalist queries.

Blocks of the Dukovany NPP began operations in the years 1985-1987, when the then Czechoslovakia developed its nuclear industry in tight co-operation with the Soviet Union. Temelín works for four blocks began in 1987, but only two were completed and connected to the grid in 2002 and 2003, respectively.

CRo noted that Westinghouse shipments should be delivered to Temelín blocks next year following testing and other new fuel-related works, and that ahead of shipments, there was a five-year-long process of analyses and tests.  

“Deliveries must be preceded by approval from the State Office for Nuclear Safety [SUJB]. We are currently preparing the application,” CEO of the ČEZ nuclear division, Bohdan Zronek, was quoted as saying by CRo.    

As a result of new shipments, the annual average production of nuclear resources should increase from the current 30 terawatt hours to 32 TWh after 2030, CRo also noted. Temelín’s two blocks have an output of 1,000 MW each, while Dukovany’s four nuclear blocks have an output of 510 MW each.