BUSINESS

there has been a great progress. I had to

be very careful before, while nowadays I

drive anywhere without getting worried

that I might get stuck somewhere.

ČEZ is the greatest Czech

energy producer, very agile in

preparations for electric

mobility.

You come from Olomouc, still returning

to Moravia. What is your view on the

capacity range of current electric vehicles,

and how are you going to improve the

network of charging stations?

ČEZ builds dozens of charging stations

annually, we open a new one weekly. We

invest our own money and money from

European funding CEF. Car producers are

improving the range of their vehicles to

300 kilometers and even greater ranges

from a single charge will soon become

standard.

There are three million electric vehicles

worldwide; that is a rapid start with the

prospect of an huge increase. Relatively

high prices may be discouraging, yet (much

like photovoltaic technologies) there

has already been a drop in costs and an

increase in efficiency resulting from huge

investments in research and development.

ČEZ ESCO notice how many municipalities

and businesses inquire about electric cars.

Especially those municipalities where air

pollution is a considerable issue promote

clean mobility. We delivered 19 electric

cars to the Ústí nad Labem Region whose

social workers drive clients to see their

doctors in the city, deliver meals, etc.

It makes the best sense if the regional

government sets a good example. In

the Moravian-Silesian Region we have

provided electric vehicles for testing in

Karviná and Havířov. Třinec has the second

greatest fleet of electric buses in Central

Europe (Vienna is #1): we provided them

with 10 charging stations. We have “baby

taxi” services in Nový Jičín.

It is the 100th anniversary of industry

in independent Czechoslovakia. What

innovative projects is ČEZ preparing

in our region, and will they affect the

environment and savings?

Nowadays ČEZ ESCO employs almost

1600 people in a peculiar section in

the energy producing business focused

on customers saving energy. We see to

energy savings in municipalities, businesses

and real estate. We provide them with

new boiler-rooms, replace pipelines and

electricity grids, install photovoltaic power

plants and cogeneration units. EPC projects

represent a special form: we guarantee

savings in a contract, and the investment is

paid through these savings.

Our present greatest investment in

the Moravian-Silesian Region is the

modernization of our heating plant

Energocentrum Vítkovice. It is an

investment of 138 million CZK involving

the replacement of black coal powered

boilers with new environmentally-friendly

gas-powered ones. Sulphur emissions will

drop to zero, hydrogen by over 90%, and

solid particles by 96%.

Arcelor also had part of

the lighting modernized

and equipped with

an intelligent control system.

That is a project within your power plant.

What about your customers?

There are a variety of activities. A huge

project was the ecologization of Rolling

Mill (Válcovny plechu) in Frýdek Místek

where eight modern natural-gas-powered

boiler rooms were built. The customer

(ArcelorMittal) ordered a replacements

Elektrobus

32 ǀ POSITIV 3/2018

of old coal-powered boiler room from

the 1960s, a reduction of emissions, and

a decrease of noise and waste. The

investment totalled nearly 100 million

CZK. Arcelor also had part of the

lighting modernized and equipped with

an intelligent control system. The same

jobs were performed in Hyundai Dymos

and Sigma Lutín in the District of Olomouc.

Another special task is the operation of all

the technical background in Teva in Opava

(former Galena), a branch of one of the

greatest global medical producers. The

plant is busy 24/7, everything must work

smoothly and safely, and we achieve that

with 100 employees on site.

What about projects at local governments,

projects of energy savings through

EPC (Engineering, Procurement and

Construction) which are being discussed

more and more often?

In the Moravian-Silesian region we are

running one of the greatest EPC projects in

the Czech Republic. Let me remind you that

EPC is such an investment in energy savings

where we contract guaranteed savings and

the investment is paid from actual savings.

The customer does not pay anything extra.

We are running the project in thirteen

facilities of the regional government, and

we guarantee savings exceeding 200 million

CZK by 2022. The facilities include hospitals

and schools, with the most frequent saving

measures in the manner of heating: we heat

the rooms where schools and hospitals

need it most, we do not let the heat out in

a room s nobody’s in.

A range of municipalities in the MoravianSilesian and Olomouc Regions had their

lighting replaced with modern technologies;

we operate some of these networks.

Thank you very much for the interview.

Editorial of Magazine.

Evropský týden mobility v Třinci

- uvedení do provozu dobíjecí stanice