The ČEZ Group has announced that it will make a larger contribution to meeting the Czech Republic’s commitments towards European Union renewable energy targets by creating “additional production of electric power in the annual volume of 60,000 MWh without the necessity to build new sources”. The utility has revealed that it has rolled out an extensive programme of measures to improve the efficiency of the hydroelectric power plants it operates.
“Large hydroelectric power plants will increase production due to a package of these measures by volume covering the demand of over 17 thousand households by 2022. At the same time the implemented measures should mean reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 60 thousand tonnes,” stated the company in a recent press release.
According to the ČEZ Group, the hydroelectric power plant refurbishment programme has involved a complete overhaul of the hydroelectric power plants in Vrané nad Vltavou and Kamýk nad Vltavou, boosting their efficiency by over 5%.
“The result of modernisation was an interim increase of production by 3,900 MWh just at one of the units of the Vrané power plant,” revealed the company.
Elsewhere, the Kaplan turbine at the small Mohelno hydroelectric power plant was reconstructed, leading to “an average real increase of efficiency by 8.8 % and from that resulting increase of annual production by 528 MWh”, while the Dalešice pumped storage plant was refurbished enabling “an extension of the maximal achievable active power from 112.5 to 123 MW and so-called operating zone from 50 – 112.5 to 13 – 123 MW”. The company describes this as “an advantage for providing island operation and black-start support services”.
Wind energy boost in Romania
In addition to its activity in the Czech Republic, ČEZ also recently a signed loan worth €200 million with the European Investment Bank to finance the construction of the Fantanele wind farm in Romania. The Fantanele wind farm should consist of 240 turbines with a total capacity of 600 megawatts, which is twice as much as the installed output of the largest European wind farm in Scotland's Whitelee, said the company on its website.
In the first phase of the Fantanele project, a total of 139 turbines with the installed output of 347 MW will gradually be put into operation. Most of these wind power plants have already been installed.
ČEZ expects Fantanele, together with large hydroelectric power plants, to produce 10 percent of electricity from renewable sources in Romania.
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