Regional powerhouse

Tucked away on Page 81 of the proposed energy policy statement is one of the document's most-important sentences: "Orientation on the export character of electric energy remains a significant element of energy policy." Deciphered, this means the CR will extend coal-mining limits, reopen uranium mines, build new nuclear plants and drape the landscape with windmills partly so that Germans, Poles and other energy-deficient neighbors can keep their lights on. The CR is supposed to boost its role as a regional energy champion. Czechs will need to decide whether they want to forfeit their own long-term energy security in the name of short- and mid-term profits for ČEZ, EPH and their power-plant builders - profits that will derive from rapidly depleting the CR's natural resources. The cabinet hasn't formally addressed this yet, but PM Jan Fischer gave it a strong endorsement in Parliament yesterday. [Czech Republic EP Holding J&T Škoda Plzeň]