Alpiq's power plant in the Czech city of Kladno near Prague is to be equipped with a new 135-Megawatt block unit. The installation work will commence in the course of this year. The new block unit is much more efficient and eco-friendly than its predecessor. The existing coal-fired block unit is the oldest of its generation in the Czech Republic. It went into operation in the second half of the 1970s. Over the next few months the existing block unit in the Kladno power plant will be replaced by the new block unit. The replacement which is supported by the municipal council of Kladno was approved by the Alpiq Board of Directors. With a net capacity of 101 Megawatts more than its predecessor, the new 135-Megawatt block unit is highly efficient and significantly more eco-friendly. The existing block unit will no longer meet the new EU guidelines on CO2 emissions which come into force on 1 January 2016. The new block unit will run as from the end of 2013, significantly increasing the Kladno power plant's output. The plant will therefore be able not only to supply more electricity locally, regionally and nationally, but also more heat to local households. The new block unit is also designed for burning up to 10 per cent biomass.