At the end of 2024, the Government of the Czech Republic gave the green light to update the National Climate and Energy Plan, an initiative jointly developed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The updated plan focuses on possible scenarios for the development of the Czech energy sector until 2030, and emphasizes the fulfillment of European goals, as well as security of supply.
After approval by the Government, the updated National Plan envisages a significant increase in capacity from renewable energy sources and nuclear energy, in order to meet climate goals in the most cost-effective way. The strategy emphasizes the role of renewable energy sources (RES) and nuclear energy, while gas remains an important segment of the energy plan, as stated on the website of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
The plan states that the share of RES in electricity production will increase from 16.5 percent in 2023 to 28 percent by 2030 and further to 46 percent by 2050. The plan is for the share of nuclear energy to be around 44 percent by 2030, and with the completion of the new reactors, it is expected to increase to 68 percent by 2040. Also, 28 percent of thermal energy in the Czech Republic currently comes from renewable sources, with plans to increase this share to 40 percent by 2030 and 74 percent by 2050.
The plan describes in detail the role of natural gas as a transitional energy source, which, due to its stability and ability to produce quickly, will ideally complement less predictable production from renewable sources. However, gas is predicted to gradually disappear almost entirely from the energy mix, being replaced by renewable and low-emission gases, including hydrogen.
The goal of the updated plan is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030, through the development of RES, improvement of storage and flexibility of the system, energy savings, as well as the gradual abolition of fossil energy, including the complete abolition of coal mining and burning by 2033. year. A fivefold increase in energy production from solar panels and wind generators is also foreseen, as well as an increase in the rate of building renovation, which is currently being achieved through the program New green savingsand the development of nuclear energy.
Currently, the Czech Republic has six nuclear reactors that generate about a third of its electricity. A major capacity expansion is planned, including the construction of up to four new large power units, as well as the introduction of up to three GW of capacity from small modular reactors.
All this stems from a position where the Czech Republic was among 13 member states criticized by the European Commission for its delay in submitting an updated version of the document, which led to the initiation of infringement proceedings. But thanks to several months of negotiations and the finalization of the plan, serious penalties were avoided. The updated plan now places greater emphasis on renewables and nuclear energy as the foundations of future electricity generation, with an expanded role for gas sources and a key commitment to phase out coal use by 2033.
With regard to the plan, a drastic reduction in dependence on energy imports is foreseen by 2050, if the set goals are achieved.
Energy portal
Source: energetskiportal.rs
