COUNTRY STATUS REPORTS ON THE CZECH REPUBLIC AND SLOVAKIA

HISTORY

Since 1993 the former Czech and Slovak Federal Republic (CSFR) is split up in two independent countries. The nuclear history of both nations have a lot in common.

Although nuclear power was installed rather lately, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have Eastern Europe's largest nuclear infrastructure. In the late seventies Czechoslovakia took an important place in the plans for nuclear energy of the Comecon. Nuclear power should have supplied about one quarter of the electricity needs in the East-European countries in 1990. However, till 1987 'only' eight Soviet-type pressurrized water reactors (VVER's) have been opened.

Because of secrecy during the Soviet period there is still less known about the Czechoslovakian nuclear history. On 27 November 1978 the human rights organization Charta '77 published a document about two unknown accidents in the first nuclear power station of Czechoslovakia, the 150 MW A-1 gas-cooled heavy water reactor. According to the document two workers died on 5 January 1976 after the release of radioactivity. At a second accident on 24 February 1977 radioactive liquid streamed into a river. The document concluded that there had to be an open discussion on nuclear energy and safety questions.

Little by little new revelations are made public. In 1990 Greenpeace released information that the MAPE uranium mill at Mydlovary near Ceske Budejovice has been the cause of severe radioactive pollution dating from the early sixties. Up to 80% of the cattle in the neighboorhood of the facility died in '62/'63 from leukemia or deformities because of an accident which took place in the early '60's that had been kept secret. The only counteraction of the authorities was to close down a drinking-water well (without informing the local population of the reason). Another spill occured at the same site in '64, and several cases of malfunctions occurred following that spill as well.
 

CZECH REPUBLIC
 

CURRENT SITUATION

The environmental devastation accompanying energy production in the Czech Republic and Slovakia is the worst in Europe. The poor quality of lignite and coal, the largest primary energy source, is largely to blame. In 1991 the Czechoslovak energy balance consisted of 51% coal, 28% nuclear power, oil and gas for about 15% and hydro for about 5%.

Because of the enormous air pollution the Czech and Slovak governments are in favour of nuclear power. There are, however, attractive alternatives. Investment in electricity saving yields more than investment in new power. Another alternative is cogeneration, the technique by which the heat which is is normally lost by electricity generation is used for heating. This is certainly attractive, because district heating is already used on large scale in Czechia and Slovakia. Finally, small-scale hydro power is favorable because of the environment and diversification of energy sources.

Austria, which made a largely publicized offer to provide free electricity to the Czechs in exchange for closing nuclear reactors (Dukovany) and halting construction (Temelin), has in fact been buying electricity from CEZ since 1956. Austria is also the main export country for about half the surplus electricity which is produced last years.

TEMELIN

Asea Brown Boveri (ABB), Framatome, Siemens, Techsnabexport and Westinghouse were invited to bid for the fuel supply contract of the reactors under construction. After evaluation, Framatome and Westinghouse remained at the short list.

Prime minister Vaclav Klaus strongly advocates nuclear energy. In an interview he said: "I am astonished that the smog in northern Bohemia, caused by the coal fired power stations, has not lead to fat headlines in the newspapers, which ask when Temelin is finally taken in operation". It is interesting to compare this declaration with the notes of a World Bank mission, three months earlier:

"...Upon review of available information and analysis of CEZ generating options, the medium electricity demand scenario indicates Temelin capacity and energy are not required during 1995-2010. Low scenario would have excess electricity even without Temelin. ......
Possible solutions are:
(i) Delay Temelin until domestic needs require it, for the medium demand case this would be after 2010.
(ii) Arrange for export contracts for the Temelin generated electricity (if Government policy is to allow such exports).
........... - Financing Temelin within CEZ to export electricity would require a large commitment of public funds and large guarantees which would not likely be required if financed as a seperate venture by an international consortium....."

In the same month Honza Beránek from the environmental organization Hnutí Duha said in a speech:
"...But more interesting than these "cooperative" western players, are the ones who are claiming to oppose nuclear while they directly or indirectly support it. The World Bank, a long opponent of nuclear power, is investing in the desulphurization of the northern Bohemian coal plants, but these dirty plants are profitable, so instead of using their own income to clean them up, CEZ is freed by the World Bank to invest this money into expensive Temelin construction."
 

URANIUM MINING

The Czech uranium deposits belong to the largest of Central and Eastern Europe. Therefore the uranium exploration in the former Czechoslovakia under communist government played an important role in the 'Soviet Manhattan-project' for building nuclear weapons. Uranium mining started in 1946 and reached its maximum in 1960 with an annual production of 3000 tonnes. In 1991, uranium production had declined to 1800 tonnes. From 1989 to 1992, employment declined from 23,000 to 8,500. The operator of all the uranium production facilities in Czechia is the 100% state owned company DIAMO (formerly CSUP).

One of the largest uranium facilities in Europe is operating in northern Bohemia, at Straz pod Ralskem near Ceska Lipa. Six thousand wells are dispersed over an area of 600 hectares. They inject sulfuric acid into the uranium deposit located in the so-called Upper Cretaceous sandstone layers at a depth of 150 m and pump the uranium bearing liquid off.

The ore deposit is found in a Cenoman sandstone layer, which is located below the largest groundwater reserve of northern Bohemia. Due to bad construction of the injection and production wells, the leaching liquid leaked to the groundwater layer. Totally, the enormous amount of 180 million m3 of groundwater has been contaminated by leaching liquid in the area.

At the moment, in situ leaching is being continued at a reduced level, and restoration of the contaminated groundwater started from 1994. Totally, there exist about 1500 sites in Czechia affected by the uranium mining activities of the past 47 years that have to be cleaned up now. Due to lack of funds, reclamation cannot be performed to the necessary extent at the moment.

There are only two other uranium deposits currently being explored in Czechia: the adjacent Hamr deposit, and the Rozna deposit near Bystrice n. Pernstejnem in West Moravia, both by underground mining. The ore mined at Hamr is milled at Straz pod Ralskem, where the tailings are dumped in large tailings ponds. The Rozna ore is milled at Dolni Rozinka.

All other mining districts have ceased production: The Okrouhla Radoun district in South Bohemia in 1990, the Pribram district in Central Bohemia as well as the MAPE uranium mill at Mydlovary in South Bohemia in 1991, and the Zadni Chodov district in West Bohemia in 1992. DIAMO is gradually decreasing its uranium output by closing old mines, and plans to increase imports by signing long-term contracts with uranium suppliers from other countries.
 

NUCLEAR WASTE

The issue of storing radioactive fuel has become an important topic of discussion. The former Soviet Union originally agreed to collect spent fuel for reprocessing. The Russian federation is now asking roughly 1100 US $/kg of U (1992), which would mean 60 million US $ annually for the plant at Jaslovské Bohunice (Slovakia) alone.

According to a declaration of the director of the Temelin power station, the spent fuel has to be stored several years in basin of a near-by reactor. The head of the department of development concepts of CEZ, declared that storage will take twelve years untill the central storage, to be build between 2001 en 2005, will be ready and where the 1200 tons waste of Dukovany can be dumped too. The place of this central storage will be chosen when the three years during research on geology and water management is finished, in 1998.
 

ANTI-NUCLEAR MOVEMENT

Until the fall of the communist government independent organisations were forbidden. The only organisations that could exist were the state organizations, such as 'Brontosaurus', the nature & environmental branch of the communist youth organisation. Pupils were more or less obliged to be a member. After the "Velvet Revolution" new and independent organizations arose, such as Deti Zeme (Children of the Earth) and Hnuti Duha (Rainbow Movement). These organisations are well known from their radical resistance against nuclear power, especially against the completion of Temelin and Mochovche. Hnuti Duha for example is an environmental group in Czechia, which was founded in 1989 in Brno. This 'Rainbow Movement' consist mainly of youngsters, who offer fierce resistance against the western-capitalistic developments in their country. The organization is very active. Mid-'92 they demonstrated during the G-7 summit in Munich against the western aid for upgrading nuclear power stations in East Europe. Their proposal is a non-nuclear energy program.
 
 

COUNTRY STATUS REPORT: SLOVAKIA
 

CURRENT SITUATION

In 1990 the former Czechoslowac government asked the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect all its operating nuclear units and those under construction. After the third visit the IAEA commision proposed to make improvements in the operating reactors and those under construction.
 

MOCHOVCE

In 1983 the construction of Mochovce 1 and 2 started and of Mochovce 3 and 4 in 1984. The area around Mochovce is of agricultural importance with a relative high density of population and an earthquake-area. The plans in the Czechoslovak government were made back in 1978. The finance was supposed to be done for 50% by the state, 30% by the electricity company and the rest was financed by banks. In 1991 after the downfall of the Sovjet Union the construction stopped for financial problems.

The reactordesign of the VVER-213 is slightly more sophisticated than those in Bohunice but there are two main disadvantages: no containment and no sufficient emergency core cooling system. To meet "Western' standards of safety it is estimated half of the output from the first two units has to be exported to 'western' factories to make the construction profitable.

The proposal to complete the Soviet designed nuclear power plant at Mochovce in Slovakia is currently the subject of important public policy debate. The EBRD and European Commission is considering funding the completion of two of the four VVER 440-213 reactors at Mochovce. Mochovce construction started in the early 1980s, but halted after the political changes of 1989.

Electricite de France (EdF) and Slovensky Elektrarne (SE) have formed a partnership to complete the plant, which will cost over US$800 million. EdF owns 51% of this joint venture company called EMO. Siemens and Framatome are the construction contractors and Bayernwerk is considering becoming an EMO partner with EdF and SE. Earlier plans were to build four reactors at the site. But after 1990 the Slovak Republic and the electricity company Energeticky Podnik wanted to complete only two units with European Bank money and with the help of the European Commision. When the first reactor is completed the Slovac government will shut down the oldest unsafe Bohunice V1 powerplant near the Austrian border.

All major environmental groups in Europe and members of the public throughout Europe and North America have opposed

the EBRD and European funding of the project. Over 1 million citizens in Slovakia, Austria and other countries have already signed letters or petitions against the project. A recent survey presented by EdF and the Slovak Electric company also found that over half the citizens of Slovakia oppose construction of nuclear power plants. Environmental groups want that economic assistance to Slovakia from EBRD and the Commission should be focussed on reduction of energy demand and restructuring of the energy system to increase efficiency.
 

JASLOWSKE BOHUNICE

The Czechoslovak Bohunice reactor A1 was closed down after two serious accidents in 1976 and 1977. Nowadays the reactor is still full of highly radioactive debris and reactor fuel.

At present, there is one nuclear power plant in operation: Jaslovske Bohunice with four units: 2x VVER 440/230 and 2x 440/213, all of Russian design. These nuclear reactors are even more unsafe as those in Western Europe for differences in safety philosphy: there is no 'containment' and there is no extra emergency cooling system. The reactor vessel is too narrow so the wall of the vessel is placed too close near the core and receives an excessive amount of neutron radiation which makes the steel corrode. Austrian experts have stressed to close Bohunice in 1987 and the former Czechoslovak government agreed to shut down the plant in 1995. But the present Slovak government wants to prolong the operation of Bohunice till the year 2000 or even 2010. Other reports are that Bohunice will close down after the completion of Mochovce. The safety controls are now under IAEA supervision. One nuclear expert mission stated 89 shortcomings that have to be removed. If the safety-standards are westernized the price of electricity becomes too high.
 

NUCLEAR WASTE

Near Mochovce an underground dump was planned for low and middle radioactive waste. But deep loamlayers proved to be leaking and the building of this dump-site was stopped.
 

ECONOMICS

A Least Cost Study by the Austrian group Global 2000 has researched the 1995 closure of the older two reactors at Bohunice ("V1") and construction of Combined Cycle Gas Turbines as the best option for meeting future Slovak electrical energy needs. This option saves the 280 million DM upgrade costs of Bohunice V1 and conforms to the recommendations in the Slovak national energy policy.

The Least Cost Study prepared for the EBRD by Putnam, Hayes and Bartlett (PHB) identifies a 5% cost advantage of an energy system including completion of Mochovce. This advantage, however, disappears when realistic gas prices or higher discount rates (realistic) are applied.

-The base case gas prices in the PHB study would require a 60% price increase over the next four years. Such a price increase would constitute an "oil shock" scenario. The World Bank and European Investment Bank both project significantly lower gas prices than adopted by PHB.

-The PHB study uses different exchange rates for construction of the facilities and fuel prices. No reason for this difference is stated. If the same rates are used Mochovce's least cost advantage disappears. Fuel costs are the largest cost component of the non-Mochovce option.

-The decommissioning costs for Mochovce are estimated to be 560 million DM. This is significantly below the estimate for dismantiling the similar reactors at Greifswald. An analysis by the German Oeko-Institute found: "The decommissioning costs at the moment or in the period of the decommissioning works are grossly underestimated by the PH&B study."
 

SLOVAK ANTI NUCLEAR MOVEMENT

Almost all activities of the movement nowadays is invested in preventing Mochovce to be completed. After 1990 many groups were established and expanded strongly, supported by Austrian environmental organisations (Global 2000, Vienna).
 
 

Written by the LAKA Foundation for Steps to a nuclear-free world
29 April 1995