Prunerov power station

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Prunerov power station is an operating power station of at least 750-megawatts (MW) in Kadaň, Chomutov, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as Prunéřov power stations.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Prunerov power station Kadaň, Chomutov, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic 50.415122, 13.255958 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • Phase 1 Unit 3, Phase 1 Unit 4, Phase 1 Unit 5, Phase 1 Unit 6, Phase 2 Unit B21, Phase 2 Unit B22, Phase 2 Unit B23, Phase 2 Unit B24, Phase 2 Unit B25: 50.415122, 13.255958
  • Phase 2 Unit B23 retrofit, Phase 2 Unit B24 retrofit, Phase 2 Unit B25 retrofit: 50.418, 13.259

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology Start year Retired year
Phase 1 Unit 3 retired coal: lignite 110 subcritical 1968 2020
Phase 1 Unit 4 retired coal: lignite 110 subcritical 1968 2020
Phase 1 Unit 5 retired coal: lignite 110 subcritical 1968 2020
Phase 1 Unit 6 retired coal: lignite 110 subcritical 1968 2020
Phase 2 Unit B21 retired coal: lignite 210 subcritical 1982 2016
Phase 2 Unit B22 retired coal: lignite 210 subcritical 1982 2016
Phase 2 Unit B23 retired coal: lignite 210 subcritical 1980 2012
Phase 2 Unit B23 retrofit operating coal: lignite 250 subcritical 2016
Phase 2 Unit B24 retired coal: lignite 210 subcritical 1982 2012
Phase 2 Unit B24 retrofit operating coal: lignite 250 subcritical 2016
Phase 2 Unit B25 retired coal: lignite 210 subcritical 1982 2012
Phase 2 Unit B25 retrofit operating coal: lignite 250 subcritical 2016

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner Parent
Phase 1 Unit 3 CEZ AS [100%] CEZ AS [100.0%]
Phase 1 Unit 4 CEZ AS [100%] CEZ AS [100.0%]
Phase 1 Unit 5 CEZ AS [100%] CEZ AS [100.0%]
Phase 1 Unit 6 CEZ AS [100%] CEZ AS [100.0%]
Phase 2 Unit B21 CEZ AS [100%] CEZ AS [100.0%]
Phase 2 Unit B22 CEZ AS [100%] CEZ AS [100.0%]
Phase 2 Unit B23 CEZ AS [100%] CEZ AS [100.0%]
Phase 2 Unit B23 retrofit CEZ AS [100%] CEZ AS [100.0%]
Phase 2 Unit B24 CEZ AS [100%] CEZ AS [100.0%]
Phase 2 Unit B24 retrofit CEZ AS [100%] CEZ AS [100.0%]
Phase 2 Unit B25 CEZ AS [100%] CEZ AS [100.0%]
Phase 2 Unit B25 retrofit CEZ AS [100%] CEZ AS [100.0%]

Project-level coal details

  • Coal source(s): North-Bohemian Mines, North-Bohemian brown coal basin

Background

The Prunerov power station is the largest fossil power complex in the Czech Republic, with installed capacity of 1,490 megawatts (MW). They are situated on the western edge of the North-Bohemian brown coal basin near the town of Chomutov. They consist of two power stations.[1]

Prunéřov I Power Station

The Prunéřov I Power Station, the older of the two, began operations between 1967 and 1968. It consisted of six 110 MW units. Between 1987 and 1992, four of these units underwent extensive reconstruction, and the other two units were decommissioned during the capacity phasing-out program in the early 1990s.[1]

The four units of Prunéřov I were planned for retirement on June 30, 2020.[2][3]

Prunéřov II Power Station

The Prunéřov II Power Station is ČEZ’s newest fossil power station. It consists of five 210 MW units commissioned in 1982, known as units B21-B25.[1] Three of the units (B23-B25) are being expanded to 250 MW (detailed info below).

Retrofit and expansion of Prunerov II

In 2010 CEZ announced plan to retrofit and expand Prunerov II. The plan was challenged by Micronesia on the grounds that the expansion of the power station would have a strong impact on the climate and the environment of Micronesia. Micronesia requested a Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment.[4] According to the Czech environment ministry, the modernization plan did not include best available technology.[5]

On January 26, 2010, Czech minister of the Environment Jan Dusík said he was calling on international experts to carry out an environmental impact assessment of the plans to modernize the power station.[6] In March 2010 he publicly released the report from Det Norske Veritas, which found lack of best available technology in the CEZ plan EIA.[7]

Shortly after Minister Dusík resigned, while claiming he was under pressure from prime minister Jan Fischer to approve the CEZ's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the power station.[8] Former CEZ employee Rút Bízková was appointed as Minister of the Environment and after two weeks in office approved the CEZ's EIA in April 2010.[8]

The approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report paved the way for CEZ to replace three existing blocks at Prunéřov II, extending the operational life of the power station by 25 years.[8]

As of 2014, three coal units of 250 MW are under construction, increasing their unit capacity from 210 MW to 250 MW.[9] Construction is expected to end in September 2014,[10] but was reported as delayed in May 2014.[11]

In March 2016 CEZ reported that "In the Prunéřov Power Plant renovation project, installation work was completed and commissioning is underway (complex testing is underway at B23 and B24 units, first synchronization of B25 unit was performed on Dec 19, 2015)." Full commercial operation of the renovated units is planned for 2016.[12]

The three units (B23-B25) began operating in 2016. Units B21-B22 were retired in 2016.[13]

As of January 2024, the three operating units were under consideration for retirement by 2030.[14]

Coal source

The power station is fueled by brown coal from the Nástup Mines of Tušimice and Severočeské doly, a.s. (North-Bohemian Mines).[1]

Climate impacts

According to the study Dirty Thirty, issued in May 2007 by the World Wide Fund for Nature, Prunéřov Power Station is the twelfth-worst power station in Europe in terms of the relation of energy efficiency to carbon dioxide emissions.[15] The power station is the largest single source of CO2 in Czech Republic. In 2008 it emitted 9,210 millions of metric tons of CO2.[16]

Articles and Resources

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "The Prunerov Power Stations," CEZ Group, accessed May 2014.
  2. "Czech Republic's CEZ to close over 1 GW of coal plant by mid-2020," SP Global, March 27, 2019
  3. "Czech coal power plant to close at the end of June". New Europe. 2020-06-04. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  4. Micronesia challenges Czech coal plant UPI, Jan 19, 2010
  5. Navrhovaná technologie pro modernizaci Prunéřova II není dostatečná
  6. Environment Ministry calls in international experts to sidestep pressure over controversial power plant, Český rozhhla Radia Praha, 27. 1. 2010
  7. DNV´s Prunéřov assessment shows deviations
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Compromised minister set to approve coal plant expansion The Prague Post, Apr 28, 2010
  9. "Evaluating the way CEZ makes technology decisions," CEZ, Feb 20, 2014.
  10. "Complete overhauling of power plant Prunerov II," PSG, accessed May 2014.
  11. "CEZ Profit Falls on Low Power Prices, Decreased Output," Bloomberg, May 13, 2014
  12. "Press conference on CEZ Group financial results," ČEZ Group, Mar 15, 2016
  13. "EPR - Z20 N - IP.doc - Ministerstvo životního prostředí," Czech Ministry of the Environment, March 27, 2017
  14. "ČEZ se chystá na konec provozu uhelných bloků. Výrobu tepla na Chomutovsku převezmou nové zdroje," Ekonomicky Denik, January 23, 2024
  15. The Dirty Thirty report
  16. Integrovaný registr znečišťování

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.