A consortium of Czech companies ZAT and I&C Energo have won the tender for the replacement of key elements of the control system of all four units at the Dukovany NPP. The ten-year project is part of extensive modernisation to ensure the efficient and safe long-term operation of the NPP.
The extensive modernisation includes a complete replacement of the control systems for the primary and secondary circuits on all four production units without compromising safety and stable operation.
ZAT will be responsible for the supply of SandRA control systems and the technical concept of the project, which it has been underway since 2020. “For the Czech nuclear industry, it is a strategic order confirming the quality and competitiveness of our solutions. The modernisation will extend the operation of the SandRA platform for decades to come and it will also contribute to the development of Czech nuclear know-how,” noted Ivo Tichý, Executive Director and Board Vice-Chairman of ZAT.
I&C Energo will provide installation, commissioning and engineering building on his many years of experience with the maintenance of measurement and regulation systems in Dukovany. “We have been operating in Dukovany since 1993 and have participated in most major modernisations,” said Jiří Holinka, Board Chairman and Executive Director of I&C Energo. “Our participation in this contract is a logical continuation of long-term technical support for Czech nuclear power plants.”
Bohdan Zronek, Nuclear Energy Division Director at Czech power utility ČEZ noted: “We invest an average of approximately CZK7bn ($333m) a year in our NPPs. The goal is to strengthen efficiency, safety and ensure long-term operation. Replacement of elements of the Dukovany control system is part of this.” The Czech Republic gets about one-third of its electricity from nuclear generation including four VVER-440 units at Dukovany, which began operating between 1985 and 1987, and two VVER-1000 units at the Temelin NPP.
