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

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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