News

Temperature records were broken on Friday at 21 out of 170 weather stations across Czechia, with temperatures ranging from 32.7°C to 35.3°C. The highest temperatures were recorded mainly in Moravia and Silesia, with several locations surpassing their previous records. Some stations matched their old records, while others set new highs. Despite the extreme heat mostly affecting the eastern regions, even some stations in central Bohemia recorded unprecedented temperatures for this time of year.

The Dukovany nuclear power plant in South Moravia has begun a planned outage of its first generating unit for regular maintenance, equipment inspections, and partial fuel replacement, which will last until October. The reactor's output started to decrease at noon, and it will stop supplying electricity to the grid in the evening. Over 18,000 tasks will be performed during the outage, including key checks on main circulation pumps, steam generators, and emergency systems. This is the third planned outage at Dukovany this year. CEZ, the plant's operator, is also preparing for the construction of two new units at Dukovany, expected to start by 2036.

The majority of Czech ministries support a proposal to increase salaries for certain public sector workers. I should grow 10% starting in September. However, concerns remain over the availability of necessary funds, as the Ministry of Finance warns of limited budget capacity. Czech Television reports that the plan, put forth by Labor Minister Marian Jurečka (Christian Democrats), faces opposition from the Finance Ministry, which has not endorsed either the 10% or a proposed 7% increase. The final decision is still under discussion, with opposition parties pushing for even higher raises.

Approximately 800 Czech companies have registered in a new emissions registry for goods imported from non-EU countries. These include products like cement, aluminum, and steel. Companies have until the end of October to register. According to the Ministry of the Environment, the data collected will be used to calculate a special ecological tax on imported products, aimed at leveling the playing field for EU manufacturers who must purchase emission permits.