Almost 3,000 employees of Czech nuclear power stations including contractors have received security clearance from the National Security Authority (NBU) since 2017, said Bohdan Zronek, head of power utility CEZ's nuclear energy division.
Some 826 of the 1,300 employees at the Temelin nuclear power station were granted clearance, Temelin spokesman Marek Svitak told CTK, adding that only the employees who enter the plant's vital areas need it.
Temelin has 36 areas designated as vital. After 2020, only staff with security clearance will be allowed to enter them. The nuclear power plant's operator, CEZ, is introducing security features and strict measures in the plants' vital areas in an effort to raise their safety. The system is currently being tested and will be launched in early 2020, Svitak said.
More than 99 percent of CEZ's employees that applied for the clearance have obtained it since 2017, Zronek said. This proves a good job was done during employee selection and vetting, he added.
A total of 1,916 employees of the Dukovany and Temelin nuclear power stations received security clearance as did more than 1,000 of contractors' employees, Zronek said.
The NBU-issued security clearance is valid for five years. Temelin, launched in December 2020, is the largest power producer in Czechia, covering about a fifth of the country's consumption.
Last year, it generated 15.66 terawatt hours of electricity. This year, it has generated 15.3 terawatt hours so far.
