Spent fuel storage facilities in the Czech Republic

There are six nuclear power reactors type PWR (VVER) operating in the Czech Republic. In the course of their operation they will generate in total approximately 3 300 t of spent nuclear fuel. Spent fuel storage concept has undergone many changes since 80s, the last one was approved by the Czech government in May 2002. This concept sets down basic principles of the nuclear fuel cycle back-end strategy which could be characterized as 'wait and see' approach. Among other points this concept determined storage spent fuel technology, i.e. storage metal casks placed in dry storage facilities, appointed localities for spent fuel storage facilities at NPP sites and determined the underground storage facility in location Skalka as the back up solution. The interim spent fuel storage facility was built at the Dukovany NPP with capacity of 600 t of spent fuel and has been in operation since 1995. The construction of further spent fuel storage facility for the Dukovany NPP with capacity 1340 t of spent fuel has been contracted including storage dual purpose casks. The construction of the facility should start in 2003 and the storage should be put into operation in 2006. Next spent fuel storage facility in Temelin NPP with capacity of 1 370 t of spent fuel is in the planning phase at present, the site permit is expected in 2006 and the construction approval in 2008. The operation should start in 2014. As the back-up solution for the Temelin spent fuel storage facility the underground storage facility in locality Skalka has been kept. This locality used to be an underground option for the central spent fuel storage facility and has already obtained site permit. (author)