The Czech Republic's second-biggest electricity producer Sev.en Energy has said it could shut two coal-fired power plants next year that combined cover 15% of the country's power consumption, news website SeznamZpravy.cz reported on Friday.

The closure would affect two mines and 3,000 employees, Seznam Zpravy said. Citing sources, it said the company was considering a closure in the spring of 2025, after the next heating season.

The Czech Republic relies on nuclear and coal for the biggest part of its electricity production, with the latter accounting for around 40% of output.

Sev.en Energy was not immediately available for comment.

A company spokesperson told the news website it had "confirmed this situation to the relevant ministries that are dealing with this mentioned risk in the past few days".

Coal-fired plants are becoming uncompetitive, the spokesperson told SeznamZpravy.cz.

Pavel Tykac, the billionaire owner of Sev.en, told Reuters last year that coal-fired plants will be running at a loss from 2026 but remain indispensable for the national grid.

He had said the government needed to tell the sector soon if it will provide aid to keep them operating.

Coal-fired plants have been squeezed by costs of carbon emission allowances and a falling number of hours in the year when they can sell at profitable prices.

But they still have an important role in supplying power, especially at times of high demand or low supply from renewable sources. (Reporting by Jason Hovet; Editing by Jan Harvey)