Atomic energy - AKW-Billion contract in Czech Republic goes to South Korea
The billion-dollar contract for building new Nuclear Power Plants in Czechia is going to South Korea. The company KHNP emerged as the winner from the tender, according to Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala after a cabinet meeting in Prague. The offer from the South Koreans was the better one according to practically all evaluated criteria. Alongside KHNP (Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power), the French atomic giant EDF had also bid.
We have decided to build the first two reactor blocks at the Dukovany site, Fiala announced. The costs are reportedly around 7.9 billion Euros per reactor. This is a "responsible and bold step," Fiala said, which is important for the prosperity of the country. The construction is predicted to begin in 2029.
Czechia is all in on Nuclear Energy
Fiala spoke of an enormous opportunity for the domestic industry, which will be involved in more than half of the project. Czechia can contribute its unique know-how in Nuclear Energy. The government also decided to negotiate an option for the construction of two further blocks at the Temelin site in South Bohemia.
Czechia aims to increase the share of Nuclear Power in the power mix from the current one third to more than half by the year 2040. Czech, German, and Austrian Nuclear Power critics have been voicing their concerns about the plans for a long time. The Temelin Nuclear Power Plant, with two Pressurized Water Reactors of the WWER 1000/320 type, is located less than 60 kilometers from the German and Austrian borders. From Dukovany, which has over four old Soviet-type WWER-440/213 reactors, it is only about 100 kilometers to Vienna.
- The South Korean company KHNP, having won the billion-dollar contract for building new Nuclear Power Plants in the Czech Republic, will collaborate closely with the domestic industry, utilizing their unique expertise in Atomic Energy.
- The Czech government, in an effort to boost the country's energy sector, has signed a contract with EDF, the French atomic giant, for the construction of nuclear fuel storage facilities, alongside the South Korean bid.
- Prime Minister Petr Fiala, in his address to the public, emphasized the importance of Atomic Energy in reducing reliance on fossil fuels and highlighted the potential for the Czech Republic to become a major player in the global Nuclear Power market.
- The Czech Republic, shifting towards a more sustainable energy future, has allocated significant resources towards the development of its Nuclear Power industry, aiming to secure a contract worth several billion Euros from international partners such as South Korea and France.
- The Atomic Energy Authority in Prague is closely monitoring the progress of the new Nuclear Power Plant construction projects in Dukovany and Temelin, with South Korean and French companies being major contributors, ensuring the safety and environmental sustainability of these projects.
