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Czech Republic Seeks to Run Dukovany Reactors Up to 80 Years

Officials cast the move as a complement to two new KHNP units planned at the site.

Overview

  • The government outlined the plan Thursday, saying Dukovany’s four Soviet‑era units could stay online for as long as 80 years.
  • CEZ chief Daniel Benes said new economic and safety studies support running past the earlier 60‑year horizon and called the units in excellent condition.
  • Environmental groups, especially in Austria, argue the WWER‑440/213 design is outdated and risky for neighbors about 100 kilometers south in Vienna.
  • There is no fixed legal lifetime for Czech nuclear plants, so any extension rests on ongoing safety and economic reviews rather than a set end date.
  • Two new reactors at Dukovany went to South Korea’s KHNP last year, and the government says the life‑extension would complement those builds.