Czechia aims to produce up to 60 per cent of its electricity from nuclear power by 2050. Engineers operate eight large cooling towers at the Dukovany plant as crews prepare the site for two additional reactors. Workers use mobile drilling rigs to extract deep geological samples 140 metres below ground and confirm the terrain supports a $19-billion expansion. This project will at least double national nuclear output and strengthen Czechia’s position among Europe’s most nuclear-reliant states.
South Korea’s KHNP wins the tender and defeats France’s EDF to build a new nuclear plant. The company will install two reactors that each deliver over 1,000 megawatts. They will enter service in the second half of the 2030s and support the four older 512-MW Dukovany units from the 1980s. The KHNP contract gives Czechia an option for two more large units at the Temelín plant, which already runs two 1,000-MW reactors. Officials plan to introduce small modular reactors after completing the major expansion.
Project chief Petr Závodský says nuclear power will generate at least half of Czechia’s energy by 2050. He argues the expansion allows the country to leave fossil fuels, guarantee stable pricing, and meet strict emission rules. He also expects soaring demand from electric vehicles and data centres.
Europe Reconsiders Nuclear Power in a Changing Energy Landscape
Czechia expands its nuclear fleet at a moment when global electricity needs rise sharply. Governments race to cut carbon pollution and reconsider nuclear energy as an essential tool. Nuclear reactors create radioactive waste but do not release carbon dioxide, which drives climate change. The European Union includes nuclear power in its sustainable investment classification, allowing new funding options. That decision boosts Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, and France, nations that rely heavily on atomic power.
Belgium and Sweden reverse previous phase-out plans and support nuclear again. Denmark and Italy review their past rejections and study new reactor proposals. Poland prepares to join the bloc of EU nuclear-friendly states after signing a deal with Westinghouse for three large reactors. The European Union generates 24 per cent of its electricity from nuclear energy in 2024.
Britain signs a cooperation pact with the United States to revive its nuclear industry. UK officials claim the agreement will create “a golden age of nuclear.” Britain commits £14.2 billion to build the Sizewell C plant, the first since 1995. Czech utility CEZ forms a strategic partnership with Rolls-Royce SMR to develop small modular reactors for future deployment.
Financing, Foreign Influence, and Growing Resistance Shape the Nuclear Debate
The Dukovany expansion carries an estimated cost of more than €16 billion. The government agrees to hold an 80 per cent stake in the future plant. Officials plan to secure a long-term loan that CEZ will repay over 30 years. The state will also guarantee stable income from electricity generation for 40 years. EU approval appears likely because the bloc intends to reach climate neutrality by 2050.
Závodský insists new reactors are unavoidable. He notes that nuclear supplies about 40 per cent of Czech electricity and coal provides another 40 per cent. He argues Czechia must replace coal before the 2033 phase-out deadline.
Financing uncertainty caused earlier delays. CEZ cancelled a Temelín tender in 2014 after the government refused to guarantee revenue. Authorities also barred Russia’s Rosatom and China’s CNG from the Dukovany process for security reasons after the invasion of Ukraine. CEZ now buys nuclear fuel from Westinghouse and Framatome, ending reliance on Russia. The KHNP contract secures fuel for the next decade.
Public opposition remains strong in some regions. Environmental groups argue nuclear power costs too much and diverts resources from renewables. Critics also note that Czechia lacks a permanent storage site for spent fuel. Austria, located near the Dukovany and Temelín stations, maintains strict anti-nuclear views. The 1986 Chernobyl disaster shaped its policy, and past disputes caused border blockades. Austrian lawmakers already reject the Czech plan for small modular reactors.
