Today was one of my most anticipated days, and it did not disappoint! We began the day at the coal power plant in Ledvice that is owned by CEZ, and then finished the day visiting the mine in Bilina, which supplies brown coal to the plant in Ledvice.
It is hard for me to pick a highlight when reflecting on everything we did today, because it was all very interesting and informative. Firstly, at CEZ, we visited one of the most modern coal burning power plants. We discussed the process of the power plant, from the coal being brought into the plant to the turbines working into a generator to create the electric power. The most modern part of the plant is the boiler itself, it stands 135m tall and is state of the art, when it comes to coal power.
Even though the plant we visited was a coal burning plant, we were constantly reminded of the environmental factors that are considered, and that this type of plant will be phased out in 2033. Overall, sustainability was taken very seriously, and CEZ is largely shifting towards renewable sources, with the backbone of this being nuclear power. They even signed a contract with Rolls-Royce to help produce Small Modular Reactors, which should make it easier to build nuclear plants, especially with the legislation surrounding them. Overall, the Czechs have a very environmentally conscious approach and are working for a more sustainable future, but they also are considering market prices, and trying to be independent regarding their power usage, so they won’t need to buy any power from other states.
Swanson School of Engineering 