Doosan Škoda Power has won the public tender to supply new generators for the Temelín NPP in the Czech Republic. Their replacement will allow Temelín to continue increasing output while also strengthening regulation capabilities. Power utility ČEZ launched the procurement process for the largest-ever investment in the NPP in 2023.
The generators are among the largest and most important components of Temelín. Directly connected to one high-pressure and three low-pressure turbine sections, they currently supply the grid with a nominal 1,086 MW of electricity. With their operational lifetime approaching its end, ČEZ decided to replace them on schedule. The project also represents an opportunity to further boost the output Czechia’s largest power source.
“Since the commissioning of our nuclear units, we have managed to increase their output by a total of 500 MWe, said Daniel Beneš, Chairman of the Board and CEO of the ČEZ Group. “That’s a massive amount of electricity, comparable to a large coal-fired power plant – but without added emissions, land use, or other negative impacts. By replacing the generators at Temelín, we are continuing in this process.”
ČEZ launched the open tender for the generator replacement in May 2023. Doosan Škoda Power submitted the most competitive bid, which also includes a 15-year service agreement for the newly delivered equipment. Doosan Škoda Power is a leading global manufacturer of steam turbines, headquartered in Plzeň, building on more than a century of tradition in energy technology. The company supplies complete turbine-generator systems and service solutions to customers worldwide. Its majority owner is South Korean Doosan Enerbility.
Seungwoo Sohn, CEO of Power Service Business Group at Doosan Enerbility, noted: “We are building on our long-standing cooperation in turbine delivery and service support for Temelín. But it’s important to note that we succeeded against other global manufacturers, which confirms both our position as one of the world’s leaders in delivering power plant equipment and the strong standing of our Czech company,”
Under the contract, the generators will be replaced during planned outages of Temelín’s individual units in 2029 and 2030. The contract value has not been disclosed.
“This is one of the key projects for modernising and ensuring the long-term operation of our nuclear power plants. At the same time, our objective is to make sure the replacement itself does not significantly affect Temelín’s planned outage schedule,” said Bohdan Zronek, Member of the Board of Directors and Head of the Nuclear Energy Division of the ČEZ Group.
The existing turbine-generator sets at Temelín were supplied by Škoda Plzeň, whose successor is Doosan Škoda Power. The company is thus symbolically continuing its own tradition with more than three decades of experience in operating the largest Czech nuclear power plant.
The turbine-generator sets themselves are unique in Europe. They weigh more than 2,000 tonnes, with a total length of 65 metres (including the generator), and their blade tip speed exceeds twice the speed of sound.
The Czech Republic has two NPPs at Temelín and Dukovany. Four VVER-440 units are currently in operation at the Dukovany site, which began operating between 1985 and 1987. Two VVER-1000 units are in operation at Temelín, which began operation in 2000 and 2002. The Dukovany units will be decommissioned no later than 2045-2047.
