Planning for the Temelín Nuclear Power Station began in the late 1970s, and the final project was submitted in 1985. Construction of four operating units began in 1987. The project was expected to be completed in 1991, with estimated building costs of 35 billion
CSK. Six villages were demolished by the then-
Communist government to make way for the power station. After the
Velvet Revolution in 1990, the
Czechoslovak government decided to cease construction of the third and fourth reactors; work continued on the first two reactors, however. In the 1990s, alterations to the original design were made by
Westinghouse, in conjunction with
SUJB and the
IAEA, to bring reliability and safety levels into conformance with
Western European standards. The standards audit was carried out by
Halliburton NUS. As part of the alterations, information and control systems were added, electrical modifications carried out, and cabling, reactor core, and fuel elements were replaced. In 1993, the Czech government decided to complete the plant in the face of delays and
cost overruns, with expected completion at the time estimated for 1997. In 1994, an opinion poll reported that 68% of Czech citizens were in favour of nuclear power development. By 1998, construction was still not completed, and costs reached 71 billion CZK. The Czech government again reconsidered completion of the plant. In 1999, the decision was made to continue, projecting completion to 2000, with a maximum cost of 98.6 CZK billion. The project was controversial; national and international (mainly Austrian) opposition was stronger than in the early 1990s, and public opinion on the project fluctuated. In a 1999 opinion poll, 47% of Czech citizens were in favour and 53% against nuclear power development, a fall from 1994. In subsequent years, the same poll showed 63% in favour and 37% against in 2000 and 58% in favour and 42% against in 2001. As a result of cost overruns, political changes, and design changes to the plant, reactor 1 began commercial operations in June 2002, and reactor 2 on 18 April 2003. As of 2023, the two reactors had produced 272 TWh, or 272.000.000.000 kWh of electricity, with no CO2 emissions. Assuming a price level of CZK 2 per kWh, this amounted to 544 billion CZK. As the initial investment was CZK 100 billion, the plant had turned a profit. In 2022 alone, the operators of the plant earned CZK 80 billion, as a result of the
Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting energy crisis.
Melk Protocol The Melk Protocol, signed on 12 December 2000 in
Melk, Austria, is the result of negotiations between the Czech and Austrian governments, led by Czech prime minister
Miloš Zeman and Austrian chancellor
Wolfgang Schüssel, with the participation of
European Commissioner Günter Verheugen. The aim of the protocol was to resolve disputes over the Temelín plant, with Austria raising several concerns about its safety and procedures. The Czech Republic committed itself to some above-standard procedures (e.g., notification of events at Temelín to Austria, and a more stringent
environmental impact assessment). Consequently, Austria recognised the importance of EU enlargement and agreed that the free movement of goods and people must be preserved (this clause was a response to the blockade of Czech–Austrian border crossings by Austrian anti-nuclear activists). The protocol is not legally binding. ==Technical data==