Czech Republic and coal

The Czech Republic, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) "was self sufficient in coal production and, in 2008, coal-fueled powerplants accounted for about 61% of all electricity generated in the Czech Republic. About 6.7 Mt of bituminous coal and 1.2 Mt of brown coal were exported in 2007 (the latest year for which data were available)".

EuroCoal claims that coal is the "only significant indigenous energy resource" in the country. Also according to EuroCoal, in 2010, approximately 57% of the total gross electricity production (85.9 TWh) in the Czech Republic was generated from coal. 33% was generated from nuclear energy and 7% from renewable sources. In 2010 conventional coal-fired power stations had a total capacity of approximately 10.8 GW.

According to the government’s own estimates, the country's power plants with a total capacity of approximately 4,000 megawatts will have to be closed within the next 10–15 years. These plants are to be replaced with modern coal and gas power plants and new blocks at nuclear power.

Coal reserves
The Czech Republic has 206 million tonnes of economically recoverable hard coal reserves and 863 million tonnes of economically recoverable brown coal and lignite reserves. The largest hard coal deposits are located in the Upper Silesian basin.

Energy imports and exports
Czech Republic’s dependence on energy is minimal. It was reported in 2012 that 27% of energy demand is met by imports. The country’s dependence on oil is about 97%, and in the case of natural gas it is about 96%. The country’s dependence on energy imports is expected to grow to almost 50% by 2020. It is reported that imports are to increase in Czech Republic from Ukraine and Russia in the coming years.

The Center for Eastern Studies reported that "dependence of Czech metallurgy on hard coal and the heating industry’s dependence on brown coal is making the Czech government more inclined to keep production at domestic coal mines at a high level. For the time being, the Czech Republic’s hard coal exports are three times the size of its imports."

Coal mining
The USGS reported that:


 * In 2008, the coal mining company OKD merged its CSA and Lazy Mines into one mine known as the Karvina coal mine, which it planned would produce approximately 12.5 million metric tons per year (Mt/yr);


 * The Czech Coal Group has two coal mining subsidiaries Litvinovska uhelna, which operates the CSA coal mine while its other subsidiary, Vrsanska uhelna a.s. which operates the Sverma coal mine and the Vrsany coal mine.


 * The USGS reports that production of the CSA Mine operates at approximately 5.2 million tonnes a year and is scheduled to in approximately 2020. However, it notes that "the Czech Coal Group claimed that if restrictions are lifted, the mine could operate until at least 2061. The expansion of the mine would require the relocation of the residents of Cernice and Horni Jirentin." The USGS also reports that the Vrsany coal mine has current production rates of about 7.9 Mt/yr and is "expected to be able to continue operations until 2052."


 * Severoceske doly a.s.’s Nastup Tusimice coal mine produced approximately 12.8 million tonnes of coal and its Bilina coal mine produced approximately 9.7 Mt in 2008. The USGS stated that the company "expected the Nastup Tusimice Mine to continue operations until 2035, and based on changes to mining limits enacted in 2008, the Bilina Mine would not end operations until between 2035 and 2037, although the mine life could be extended if mining restrictions are altered further."


 * Sokolovska uhelna a.s. expected extraction at the Jiri coal mine to end in approximately 2027 and the Druzba coal mine to end in approximately 2030. The combined output of the mines is approximately 9.7 million tonnes a year.


 * In addition, the Frenstat coal mine is in the Beskydy Mountains. On May 27, 2012, twelve Greenpeace activists climbed up the two mining towers of the mine to protest the country's continued fossil fuels mining.

Existing Coal-fired power stations

 * Detmarovice Power Station, an 800 megawatt black coal-fired power station owned and operated by the CEZ Group;


 * Chvaletice Power Station, an 800 megawatt brown coal fired power station owned and operated by the CEZ Group;


 * Hodonin Power Station, a 105 megawatt lignite fired power station owned and operated by the CEZ Group;


 * Ledvice power station, 330 megawtt brown coal fired power station owned and operated by the CEZ Group;


 * Melnik Power Station, a 1072 megawatt brown coal fired power station owned and operated by the CEZ Group;


 * Pocerady Power Station, a 1000 megawatt brown coal fired power station owned and operated by the CEZ Group;


 * Porici Power Stations, comprises ther 165 megawatt Poříčí II Power Station and the 18 megawatt Dvur Kralove Heat Power Plant. Both are brown coal fired power stations owned and operated by the CEZ Group;


 * Prunerov power station, a 1,490 megawatt brown coal fired power station owned and operated by the CEZ Group.


 * Tisova Power Station, a 295 megawatt brown coal fired power station owned and operated by the CEZ Group; and


 * Tusimice Power Station, a 800 megawatt lignite fired power station owned and operated by the CEZ Group.

Coal-fired power stations financed by international public investment institutions
Coal-fired power stations financed by international public investment institutions include:
 * Kladno power station

Proposed coal-fired power stations

 * Ledvice power station is a coal-fired power plant in the Czech Republic that is currently adding 660 MW capacity. The plant is operated by the CEZ Group. The 660 MW addition was to become operational in 2012, but has been postponed to the end of 2013.


 * Prunerov power station is a coal-fired power station in the Czech Republic that is currently seeking to add an additional 750 MW capacity, which was first approved in 2010. The expansion has been challenged by the Pacific island state of Micronesia as well as numerous environmental groups, including Greenpeace.


 * Kladno power station is a coal-fired power plant that is currently under construction in the Czech Republic. The plant is currently being expanded to a 343 MW by the addition of two 125 MW fluidized bed boilers.


 * Mostecka power station is a proposed coal-fired power plant in the Czech Republic by Czech Coal. As of 2010 the plant and its supply were under a contractual dispute.

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Global use and production of coal
 * International Information on Coal

Europe and coal

 * Austria and coal
 * Belgium and coal
 * Bulgaria and coal
 * France and coal
 * Germany and coal
 * Greece and coal
 * Hungary and coal
 * Italy and coal
 * Norway and coal
 * Poland and coal
 * Slovakia and coal
 * United Kingdom and coal