We are one of the major European countries that are self-sufficient in electricity production and can even sell our energy “surplus” to neighboring countries. [Through the largest power company ČEZ a.s., the state owns a total of 69 power plants. of which
– 10 coal-fired power plants
– 2 nuclear power plants
– 37 hydroelectric power plants (including 3 pumped storage plants)
– 1 steam power plant
– 13 solar power plants
– 2 wind power plants
– 3 biomass-fired power plants
– 1 biogas power plant
The largest share of electricity production are still coal-fired power plants (46%), which are not very environmentally friendly and are not cheap to operate. However, without coal-fired power plants, the Czech Republic would not be able to meet its own electricity consumption.
In second place are nuclear power plants (36%), which are cheaper to operate than coal-fired plants, but require safe storage of spent nuclear fuel. Currently, there are no deep storage facilities in the Czech Republic, and the fuel from the Temelín and Dukovany power plants is stored in so-called intermediate storage facilities. This is only a temporary solution, and a suitable place for long-term storage of hazardous nuclear waste needs to be found.
Hydroelectric power plants are the most environmentally friendly, accounting for only 5% of total energy production. However, hydropower plants are the largest source of renewable energy in our country. The largest of these are the Dlouhé stráně, Dalešice, Orlík, Slapy, and Lipno power plants.
Wind and solar (power plants) account for almost 5% of total power generation and have very low operating costs. Unfortunately, their construction is limited by the fact that wind turbine propellers and solar panels radically alter the landscape.
The last major source of supply is gas and biogas plants. This is a cleaner source of power than coal-fired power plants, and thus the future replacement of coal-fired power plants with gas-fired plants on a large scale is being considered.
The Czech Republic is completely dependent on the operation of nuclear power plants and thermal power plants (coal and gas) and cannot cover its consumption with renewable energy alone. Solar and wind energy, which are in the minority at 5%, are net complementary sources that our country should develop within the possibilities given to the landscape.