Both the Temelin and Dukovany NPPs in the Czech Republic meet the requirements of the international standard for environmental management, power company ČEZ has said. This followed an audit by international company Det Norske Veritas. Temelín NPP has held an ecological certificate for environmental management continuously since 2004, and Dukovany since 2001.
At Temelín, the auditors focused on the entire environmental protection system. In practice, this meant checking the compliance of the system with legislation, checking the documentation, but also ensuring that the plant practically fulfils environmental protection during operation. The auditors also inspected partial operations such as a cooling water treatment plant, water chemical treatment, waste management, central oil and diesel management, sewerage or emergency preparedness system.
“The audit demonstrated compliance with the requirements of the environmental management system standard. The management of the power plant, including employees, is aware of the risks associated with individual operations and their impacts on the environment and has them treated at a high level,” said Zdeněk Grabmüller, head of the team of auditors.
“Safety and environmental protection are key priorities for us. In recent years, for example, we have completed a demanding reconstruction of the main reservoir in Temelín, this year we started a major reconstruction of the pipeline, which returns water to the Vltava and next year we plan to modernise the rainwater system,” noted Bohdan Zronek, Member of the Board of Directors of ČEZ and Director of the Nuclear Energy Division.
Jan Krumlov, director of the Temelín NPP stressed the imporance of ecology and energy savings. “For example, it is about finding the optimal way of operating pumps, insulating buildings, exchanging original lights for energy-saving ones, saving water or reusing it in a small Kořensko hydroelectric power plant before returning it to the Vltava. Every year we achieve savings that correspond to the annual consumption of a small city.”
The new certificate for Temelin is valid for three years. Each year, the power plant must prove compliance with the requirements of the international standard to auditors during partial audits. In southern Bohemia, there are ten companies that, according to Det Norske Veritas GL, meet international environmental requirements.
Image: The Temelín nuclear power plant (courtesy of CEZ)
