TVEL has been delivering fuel for the Czech NPP since 2010. In 2007 the Czech Republic made the decision on prescheduled unloading of fuel manufactured by Westinghouse company from the Temelin NPP, not waiting until it burns up. There’s no precedent for this in the global practice. Numerous malfunctions of the US fuel are the reason of such radical solution: this fuel was heavily deformed during operation.

TVEL and ČEZ contract expires this year, but the document provides the possibility of prolongation until 2020. However, Daniel Benes, the chairman of the board of directors and the main chief executive of ČEZ, has recently declared in the interview to Czech magazine Respekt that the company considers the possibility to hold a tender for fuel delivery for Temelin NPP after 2020. According to Benes, the tender is «the best way to check suppliers capabilities, their new technologies and terms of delivery».

“If the Czech NPP operator decides to prolong the contract, TVEL will continue to reliably deliver nuclear fuel; in case if the decision to hold a tender is accepted — we are ready to participate and show our new capabilities and competitive advantages,” replied Alexander Uzhanov, TVEL director of the Department for Public Relations. “We will respect any decisions made by the NPP operator; what is most important is that the procedure is fair and transparent, under such circumstances TVEL sees no problems and is sure it will win the tender”, stressed Uzhanov.