Temelín Nuclear Power Station has begun the transition from fuel of the Russian manufacturer TVEL to fuel of the US company Westinghouse. Representatives of ČEZ Group announced this to journalists on 30 October 2026. The first fuel assemblies are to be loaded into the reactor of the first unit during the current outage [1][2].
Fuel loading
According to Novinky.cz, the Westinghouse assemblies are stored in the pool next to the first unit, and the plant's engineers are to begin loading them in the second half of November. During the outage, 66 of 163 fuel assemblies will be replaced [1][3]. Westinghouse makes the fuel in Västerås, Sweden. The first assemblies arrived at Temelín in 2025 and then underwent inspections and tests [2][4].
The use of the new type of fuel in the reactor was permitted by the State Office for Nuclear Safety in August 2026. This was preceded by eight years of analyses and tests, including the testing of trial assemblies directly in the Temelín reactor in 2019 to 2022 [2][3].
Eighteen-month fuel cycle
During the outage Temelín will also complete the transition to an eighteen-month fuel cycle. In it, reactor operation between outages lasts sixteen months and an outage about two months. The second unit already operates in this mode, and the first unit will switch to it after the outage ends at the end of November [2]. According to ČEZ Group board member Bohdan Zronek, longer cycles mean fewer outages and higher production of emission-free electricity [2].
Suppliers and statements
ČEZ Group announced a tender for new fuel suppliers for Temelín in 2018 and then concluded contracts with Westinghouse and Framatome. According to Ekonomický deník, the fuel from Framatome does not yet have certification from the state office [2][3]. Dukovany Nuclear Power Station also plans to switch to the new fuel, and Westinghouse has already delivered the first assemblies there [1][2].
Daniel Beneš, chief executive officer of ČEZ Group, said that the company holds strategic fuel reserves for all units and worked in advance so as not to depend on a single supplier [1][2]. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Alena Schillerová (ANO) described the widening of the circle of suppliers as proof of the systematic strengthening of energy security [2].
Sources
- Novinky.cz — 30 October 2026
- Blesk.cz — 30 October 2026
- Ekonomický deník — 30 October 2026
- Budějcká Drbna — 30 October 2026