Environmental Technologies and Eco-innovation in the Czech ...

esources equipped with CCS are identified as low-emission or even zero-emission
energy sources. The purpose of CO 2 underground storage is to restrict greenhouse
gas emissions into the atmosphere and the possibility of eventual CO 2 use in the
future. However, CCS technologies have not yet been developed and verified on a scale
necessary for mass use in energy. Support for the establishment of 10 to 12 full capacity
CCS demonstration units in the EU, which should be put into operation by 2015, is one
of purposes of the Action Plan for Energy of the European Council of March 2007.
The whole energy cycle with CCS technology consists of separating CO 2 from
combustion products and gas being formed by the gasification of carbon fuel, then
transporting separated CO 2 to a storing facility and finally taking the stored CO 2 to
a suitable deep geologic formation. The European Commission assumes the expansion
of these technologies after 2020. Power plants being built before this date will have to
contemplate the later addition of this system.
Presently, ČEZ, a.s. is planning to build facilities for CO 2 storage in two locations in
the Czech Republic. The first one is supposed to be in Ledvice, where the construction
of a new unit is planned. The other is supposed to be in the Hodonín region. The costs
of using this technology range from 25 to 60 EUR per tonne of CO 2 . For industrial use,
a price around 20 EUR per tonne of CO 2 would be acceptable.
2.6 | Nuclear energetics
One of the options to reduce the negative impacts of emissions on the Earth’s climate
is to use nuclear energy. Nuclear power engineering does not practically produce
any internationally reported greenhouse gases (CO 2 ) and as an alternative to coal
sources it significantly contributes to reducing emissions. For example, a 1000 MW
nuclear power plant will decrease CO 2 emissions into the air by 960 tonnes of CO 2 per
1 GWh of electricity compared to a thermal plant of the same capacity. In addition, it
does not use primary sources that can be used for other purposes, e.g. in chemistry
or medicine.
The current state-of-the art nuclear power plant projects that have started in Finland
and France use generation III+ reactors. After 2025, generation IV reactors that are
subject to intense research now will be added. The Czech Republic participates in the
development of generation IV reactors via the Nuclear Research Institute Řež which
provides to the EU experimental facilities built from the EU Structural Funds. Generation
IV reactors allow for uranium 238, which is non-fission under normal circumstances, to
generate a fissionable material that is used in current reactors. This increases the fuel