Towns in the vicinity of Dukovany are changing their zoning plans, also due to restrictions on accommodations

Dukovany – The municipalities around the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant in the Třebíč region are changing their land use plans. They want to stop the possibility of building new accommodations. They are mainly concerned about safety in the event of a larger influx of workers during the construction of new nuclear blocks. They are also addressing the costs they would have to consider if the population increases. This follows from statements made by the mayors of the municipalities contacted by ČTK.

In Slavětice, located about three kilometers from the power plant, according to Mayor Roman Čada, the municipality has only agreed with a private investor on the construction of a higher-category hotel with a capacity for 60 people. They are now finalizing changes to the land use plan so that accommodations cannot be built in the municipality. "It just lacks some deadlines; once they are over, it will be valid," said Čada. According to him, the municipality does not have any accommodations, but it is likely that some private individuals were interested in their establishment. "But everyone is ashamed to say it. They hide it; they want to show it only when it is done. Because if they said it among the locals, the others would crush them," described Čada the unpopularity of accommodations among residents.

Especially with regard to the safety of locals, the municipality of Dukovany is also cautious about expanding accommodations. There are already three on its cadastral area with a total capacity of about 250 people. They are owned by a private company, but the land around them is municipal. "If we expand the site, it will be a matter of changing the land use plan number three, and it will definitely be up to the decision of the new council resulting from the elections. We have learned from the past, when in Dukovany, which had 600 inhabitants, there were 1600 workers accommodated 300 meters from the village. It is certainly a memento, and we will keep it in mind,” reminded Dukovany Mayor Miroslav Křišťál of the situation in the municipality during the construction of the first Dukovany blocks in the 1980s.

According to him, it must also be resolved how to compensate the municipalities for the costs they will incur with a potentially higher number of people. "If I have residents, I have some income in the budget based on the allocation of taxes; if we have workers here, we will have nothing," said Křišťál.

For now, Dukovany is dealing with the change to land use plan number two, which should be valid by mid-year. It takes into account the expansion of the nuclear power plant, and it includes that no pensions and other accommodation capacities will arise within the municipality without the municipality's consent. Private individuals want to establish them, perhaps right at the village square. According to Křišťál, they managed to negotiate with the owner that instead of 60 beds, there would only be 20, and the building will also contain offices.

Kramolín is also finalizing the amendment to the land use plan. According to Mayor Jiřina Štefaňáková, there is no space for new accommodations in it. Kramolín has experience with a site where workers were accommodated during the construction of the Dalešice Dam and the Dukovany Power Plant. The demolition of dilapidated buildings, which no one claimed after the completion of the construction, lasted about 15 years, according to the mayor.

The Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant has four blocks. In the future, they are to be supplemented by two new ones that the Korean company KHNP is preparing in Dukovany. The costs for their construction are estimated at 407 billion crowns based on last year's prices. The construction of the first one should start in 2029. The most workers, up to 6000, are expected to be on the construction site between 2030 and 2034.