Czech nuke plant may plan extra shutdown for 2007

PRAGUE, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The biggest Czech nuclear power plant Temelin may need to plan three instead of regular two shutdowns for next year to allow for fuel exchange, the plant's spokesman said on Friday.

Temelin, the biggest asset of state-owned utility CEZ <CEZPsp.PR>, has regularly shut each of its two 1,000 megawatt (MW) reactors once a year for re-fuelling.

Spokesman Milan Nebesar said an extra shutdown at one of the two units might be needed next year after the company suffered a setback due to the unexpected behaviour of fuel cells on the Unit 2 which has been idle since late August.

"If need be, we will be ready to shut down one of the two blocs earlier than scheduled (next year)," said the spokesman.

Analysts say it usually takes 50-70 days to re-start a unit following a shutdown.

"Shutting down the 1 MW block for an extra 50 days in 2007 translates to a lower EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) of 1.2 billion crowns, or 1.6 percent on 2007 estimate," said Wood & Co. analyst Tibor Bokor.

Temelin already delayed the re-start of the Unit 2 by nearly two weeks because new fuel cells unexpectedly deformed and forced it to carry out extra analyses to win a permit to bring the reactor back online from the country's nuclear watchdog.

Head of the watchdog Dana Drabova has been quoted as saying in local media that Unit 2 was unlikely to be cleared for re-launch for another two to four weeks.

"Any prolongation of the period ... is obviously negative for CEZ as it is the cheapest source of energy, which needs to be replaced by more expensive coal production," analysts at Patria Finance said in a report.

Temelin's 1,000 MW Unit 1 was running at 96 percent capacity on Friday morning.

((Reporting by Marek Petrus; Editing by James Jukwey; Reuters Messaging: rm://marek.petrus.reuters.com@reuters.net; e-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com or marek.petrus@reuters.com; Tel: +420 224 190 477))

Keywords: ECONOMY CZECH TEMELIN