CEZ Group

CEZ Group’s operating income before depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for 2021 reached CZK 63.2 bn, a decrease of CZK 1.5 bn year-on-year, although the Romanian and Bulgarian companies sold were consolidated into the results for a significantly shorter period than in the previous year. EBITDA of existing assets increased by CZK 2.7 bn year-on-year. Net income adjusted for exceptional non-monetary effects decreased by 3% to CZK 22.3 bn. The Board of Directors will propose a dividend of CZK 44 per share to the annual Shareholders’ Meeting. The Company expects EBITDA of CZK 85–89 bn in 2022 and net income of CZK 38–42 bn. The dividend from income is expected to be CZK 56–62 per share in 2022.

• FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research) is an international particle accelerator project for research into atomic nuclei and antiprotons, located near Darmstadt, Germany • Two Elevion Group companies – HERMOS and ETS – succeeded in the prestigious supplier tenders • When completed, FAIR will be one of the largest accelerators in the world, to be used by 3,000 scientists from more than 50 countries. • FAIR also has a Czech footprint – the Czech Republic is FAIR Aspirant Partner and several of its large science organizations contribute to the project • Elevion Group has almost doubled its turnover since ČEZ’s entry When completed, FAIR will be one of the largest accelerators in the world: a total of 3.5 km of tunnels are planned and eight acceleration and storage rings. The system can accelerate particles of all chemical elements, from hydrogen to uranium, and antiprotons to nearly the speed of light, and simulate their collision with other atomic nuclei. Scientists hope the facility, which has at its heart an underground ring accelerator with a circumference of 1,100 metres, will generate particle beams of previously unparalleled intensity and quality. Here, scientists want to gain new insights for the main scientific questions: How did the universe evolve? How do chemical elements form? How does matter behave under extreme conditions? Why does a person weigh 70 kilograms when all the elementary particles that make up his atoms together are barely 700 grams? HERMOS is responsible for the delivery, installation, and commissioning of building and process automation, hardware and software engineering, as well as the installation of distribution boards. Efficient Technical Solutions GmbH (ETS), in the ARGE RLT FAIR consortium (together with Calvias Gebäudetechnik GmbH), was awarded a major contract by FAIR for a project in the demanding field of ventilation and air conditioning technology. Both companies work under the umbrella of ČEZ.

With the test floating solar power plant at Homole, the upper reservoir of the Štěchovice pumped-storage power plant, power engineers will be able to determine the properties of floating carriers and solar panels in a real environment, in combination with the daily operation of the pumped-storage power plant. In the summer, the pilot installation will be expanded into a regular power plant using solar power, with a capacity of 100 kWp. Overall, the upper reservoir could house solar panels with a capacity of up to 2.5 MW.

ČEZ successfully met the conditions of the ISO 37001:2016 anti-bribery management systems certification, focused on preventing corruptive behaviour. Due to the covid epidemic, the certification process stretched over nearly two years. ČEZ is the first partly state-owned company and the first energy company in Central Europe to achieve compliance with the international standard. Minimisation of the risk of corruption and expanding effective measures to prevent and address problems related to corruption is a key criterion in the ESG assessment of a company’s management.

Operating profit before depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for Q1-Q3 reached CZK 47.5 billion, down by CZK 3.4 billion year on year. The year-on-year decrease is due to the sale of the Romanian and Bulgarian assets in 2021, which resulted in a shorter period of time during which CEZ Group consolidated the results of the assets sold into its results in 2021, and thus CZK 3.1 billion less year on year. CEZ Group refines its full-year EBITDA guidance to CZK 59 to 60 billion, while its expected Net Profit adjusted for extraordinary effects is expected to reach CZK 19 to 21 billion.

The condition and set-up of protection of information systems of nuclear power plants, as well as employee awareness of the importance of information and cyber security and compliance, and the compliance of existing conditions at ČEZ with statutory requirements. Those are only examples of areas on which an audit of the Information Security Management System (ISMS) focused. Dukovany and Temelín are among the world’s first nuclear facilities to successfully undergo the process.

INVEN CAPITAL, the CEZ Group’s investment fund that seeks out promising projects on the European energy start-up market, has acquired a minority share in German innovation company Zolar. This company provides digital solutions for rooftop photovoltaic installations and combined photovoltaic and battery systems. In addition to Inven Capital, BayWa r.e. Energy Ventures participated in this round of investment with a total volume of EUR 10 million. The existing investors Heartcore Ventures, Statkraft Ventures and Partech Ventures likewise increased their shares.

Today, CEZ officially launched the divestment process in Romania. The interest confirmed in writing by the potential investors will be followed by an invitation to submit non-binding offer. CEZ is considering selling seven companies in Romania, keeping only those engaged in energy services (ESCO) activities and part of trading. These steps are in line with CEZ Group's new strategy.

Unipetrol continues expanding the number of locations within Benzina’s network of filling stations where drivers are offered not only conventional fuels but also electric energy from fast charging stations. The filling stations with the newly installed fast-charging stations from ČEZ can be found in Břeclav near the D2 motorway, Siřejovice on the D8 motorway, Domažlice and Hlinsko. At twelve Benzina locations all over the Czech Republic, a total of fifteen fast-charging points from ČEZ are in operation now.

INVEN CAPITAL, a ČEZ Group investment fund that seeks investment in promising European smart energy startups has acquired a minority interest in Neuron Soundware, the Czech based market leader in industrial machine diagnostics based on acoustic analysis. The company develops and markets advanced hardware and software for predictive maintenance, enabling timely detection of failures and optimisation of operations. In its four years in business, INVEN CAPITAL has made ten investments in five countries, one of which it has subsequently successfully exited.