Operator CEZ says that, together, the four units are now capable of supplying 2048 MWe to the grid under nominal conditions "almost 300 MWe more than when the last Dukovany unit was first started, 38 years ago". That increase in output from the existing units is equivalent to the output that would be expected from a typical small modular reactor.
Roman Havlín, director of the Dukovany nuclear power plant, said: "The increase in the power of the units from 500 to the current 512 megawatts was preceded by a huge amount of work. It is always a condition that we must not reduce the level of safety. That is why we still have a number of tests and trials ahead of us, which we have just started."
The first, second and third units have been operating at the higher output since last year, with unit 4 scheduled to reach full output in the next week.
Bohdan Zronek, director of CEZ's Nuclear Energy Division, said: "We are pursuing two long-term main goals. Safe and reliable operation for at least 60 years and we also want to gradually increase the average annual production to 32 TWh. And it is the modernisation of the equipment and the use of project reserves that will help us meet these goals."
The Czech Republic currently gets about one-third of its electricity from nuclear - two VVER-1000 units in operation at Temelín and the four VVER-440 units at Dukovany, which began operating between 1985 and 1987. The latter were originally rated at 440 MWe before the installed capacity of each of them was increased after a nine-year modernisation programme to 500 MWe in 2009.
The country is currently in the process of expanding its nuclear capacity with two new units proposed at Dukovany, as well as more - including small modular reactors - being explored for the Temelín nuclear power plant area.
