Page 40 - bne monthly magazine October 2022

40 I Cover story bne October 2022
CEZ has also reportedly been in talks with Westinghouse over nuclear fuel supplies for Dukovany’s Russian-designed VVER-440 reactors. / bne IntelliNews
Czechia and Slovakia accelerate
decoupling from decades-long nuclear
partnership with Moscow Albin Sybera
Czechia and Slovakia have accelerated their decoupling from their decades-long nuclear partnership with Moscow. Recent moves demonstrate that Central European states are moving to widen the cutting off of Russian energy links beyond gas, oil and coal, to include nuclear fuel and technology, where they have long been dependent on Moscow.
Czechia announced on September 12 that it will end its membership of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
in Dubno near Moscow (JINR) by December 31. Earlier this year, CEZ,
the country's dominant largely state- owned electric utility, announced it would obtain its fuel supplies for its Temelin nuclear power plant (NPP) from Westinghouse of the US and France's Framatome from 2024.
Slovak officials have also proclaimed divestment plans from Russian nuclear fuel. Branislav Strycek, head of Slovenske Elektrarne, the country's dominant partly state-owned electric utility, told media this week that
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Slovakia can now divest from nuclear fuel supplies from Russia.
The Czech Ministry of Education put out a proposal to leave JINR in March in response to the Russian army’s attacks on the nuclear facility in Zaporizhiya
in Ukraine, which have mounted since then. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) describes the security situation at the site held now by Russian forces as “precarious”.
The Czech parliament voted to leave JINR in July and the cabinet aims to conclude the whole process by September in order to avoid paying more money to JINR. As a member country, Czechia paid some CZK130mn (€5.3mn) in annual fees.
“As of December 31 of this year Czech Republic ends its 66-years-long membership in the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR), where the Russian Federation is the dominant member and on whose territory this international organisation resides”, reads the Czech Ministry of Education statement.
Czechia has also launched the process
of terminating fuel supplies from TVEL, Rosatom’s nuclear fuel supplying arm, and switching to Western suppliers. Deliveries of new US/French assemblies to the Temelin nuclear plant will begin in 2024. Currently, in Temelin the company has fuel assemblies for approximately two years of operation of the Russian- designed VVER-1000 reactors.
CEZ has also reportedly been in talks with Westinghouse over nuclear fuel supplies for Dukovany’s Russian- designed VVER-440 reactors. The country's second nuclear plant currently has supplies of Russian nuclear fuel for even longer than at Temelin.
The government launched a tender
to expand Dukovany in March, with Russia's Rosatom having been excluded in March 2021 because of Moscow's alleged involvement in the sabotage of the Vrbetice ammunition depot.
Slovakia is also trying to cut its Russian links for supplies to its VVER-440 reactors. Slovenske Elektrarne's