The Czech Republic has decided: its future new nuclear reactors will be built by a South Korean company, not a French one. KHNP, which built the Arab world’s first nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates, and EDF, the only European reactor builder, were the last two candidates in the running for the tender. The former has been chosen, the Czech government announced on July 17.
According to the plans, KHNP will build two new reactors at the Dukovany nuclear power plant, and the country will discuss an option for two additional units at the Temelin plant. The price per reactor under the contract is estimated at 200 billion crowns (7.91 billion euros), the government said. “The Korean offer was better on almost all the criteria evaluated,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala told a news conference. “We will build two reactors at Dukovany and negotiations will take place in this direction. And we will discuss options for two additional reactors at Temelin, on which we can decide later.” Prague plans to sign an agreement with KHNP by the end of the first quarter of 2025.
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Coal exit
The central European country is looking to rely more on nuclear power as it plans to phase out coal over the next decade.
The energy company CEZ (70% of whose capital is owned by the Czech state) plans to start construction of the first plant at Dukovany later this decade, and is expected to complete it in 2036. CEZ has agreed a financing model with the government for the construction of the first reactor at Dukovany, including low-interest loans and an electricity pricing system – called a contract for difference – to guarantee CEZ a return on the project. The European Commission has approved state aid for the construction of the first unit.
Earlier this year, Prague expanded the tender to allow for the construction of several reactors with a capacity of over 1,000 megawatts each, whereas only one was originally planned. In this way, the government was able to lower the price of each reactor, even though it is the country’s largest energy investment to date.
With Reuters (Jason Hovet in Prague, Joyce Lee in Seoul and Dominique Patton in Paris, French version Kate Entringer, edited by Blandine Hénault)
Source: www.usinenouvelle.com
