The 14th Nuclear Days as a path to a carbon-free future. A focus will be on the Dukovany power plant

Preparing new experts for Europe's nuclear future, the life cycle of a nuclear power plant and so-called SMRs, small modular reactors - these and other topics will be the focus of this year's Nuclear Days at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, starting on 12 September and lasting a month.

The main theme of the Nuclear Days at the UWB is clear this year, the tender for the completion of the nuclear units at Dukovany will be the focus of the event. For this, experts will be needed, whom the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FST) has been educating in the specialisation of Construction of Nuclear Power Plants for over 60 years. It is the FST that is hosting the Nuclear Days for the thirteenth time. "The university environment is an ideal space for discussion, presentation of new ideas and exchange of views. Nuclear Days addresses not only university and high school students, but also the general public. Moreover, this year the topics discussed are even more topical than in previous years, which only underlines the importance of this event." Miroslav Lávička, Rector of UWB, mentioned.

The month-long event will kick off with the international conference Nuclear Energy - the Carbon-Free Future of Europe, which will take place on 12 and 13 September at the Faculty of Applied Sciences. Both days of the conference will offer a round table with contributions from Czech and international experts. "The entire field of nuclear energy has gained a stamp of even greater attractiveness, not only for students, thanks to the government's decision to build two new units at the Dukovany NPP and the selection of a preferred candidate," said František Krček, CEO of ŠKODA JS, a. s. "This year's fourteenth edition of the Nuclear Days marks the symbolic start of the coming nuclear renaissance," he emphasised.

Three expert sections will feature lectures by prominent Czech and foreign experts from Korea, France and other countries. "For example, representatives of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, the European Nuclear Society and South Korea's KINGS University will speak," said Jan Zdebor from the Department of Power Machines and Equipment at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

An integral part of the opening conference will be a competition of student papers presented in the form of posters. These will be on display in front of the auditorium in the Faculty of Applied Sciences building. Each week, Nuclear Days will also feature expert lectures for high school students. These will focus on myths and facts about the nucleus, but also on the environment and radioactive waste.

An exhibition with practical demonstrations of the use of nuclear energy will be installed in the premises of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering throughout the Nuclear Days, with the participation of a number of companies from the Czech Republic and abroad. Visitors will have the opportunity to see a model of a container for a deep-sea repository in the Czech Republic, a fog chamber that allows the observation of the trajectories of electrically charged particles of ionising radiation, or models of reactors and spent fuel containers. The exhibition is open to students and the public free of charge throughout the Nuclear Days.

The patronage of the Nuclear Days 2024 was taken over by the Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Síkela, the Governor of the Pilsen Region Rudolf Špoták, the Rector of ZČU Miroslav Lávička and the President of the Engineering Academy of the Czech Republic Vojtěch Petráček.

All information about the Nuclear Days 2024 and its topics can be found on the website www.jadernedny.cz.

Round tables at the international conference:
Decarbonisation of the EU and Czech energy mix - 12 September at 10:30
- Tomáš Ehler, Director of the Department of Nuclear Energy of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, Jan Barták, President of the French company NucAdvisor, Karel Vinkler, Director of the Strategy Section of CEPS, Petr Závodský, General Director of the Dukovany II Power Plant, František Krček, General Director of ŠKODA JS, and Daniel Procházka, Chief Operating and Commercial Officer of Doosan Škoda Power

Nuclear heat sources for district heating - 13 September at 9:00
- Speakers include Jiří Vecka from the Heating Association of the Czech Republic or Vladimír Wagner from the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic