Industry and unions want maximum involvement of Czech companies in reactor construction

The government should consider not only the price when deciding who will build new nuclear units in Czechia, but also the involvement of Czech companies in the winning bidder’s supply chain. The role of Czech industry should be maximised, as this would help boost the country’s competitiveness. Jan Rafaj, president of the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, and Josef Středula, chairman of the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions, agreed on this after yesterday’s tripartite meeting. The government is expected to decide in July how many nuclear units will be built in Czechia and who will build them. There is speculation that a decision could be made at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting.

According to Rafaj, it is important that Czech companies benefit as much as possible from their involvement in building the nuclear units. He said it was necessary to avoid a repeat of what happened with some defence contracts in the past, when Czech companies merely assembled foreign technologies. “We want to be a strategic supplier not only for the project in the Czech Republic, but also for other projects the bidder will carry out around the world,” he said.

Středula also called for the maximum involvement of Czech industry in the project. He described it as a unique opportunity to strengthen the capabilities of Czech companies, which will also be important for their future competitiveness. The trade union leader also urged the government to ensure that the builder’s commitments are monitored after the winner of the tender to build the nuclear units is selected, and to continue seeking to increase the share of Czech companies in the project in the future.

Education Minister Mikuláš Bek (STAN) said at a press conference that the government and social partners agreed on maximising the involvement of Czech companies. He declined to comment further on the construction of the new reactors.

The government is expected to decide soon on the winning bidder and the number of units to be built. In the spring, France’s EDF and South Korea’s KHNP submitted binding bids to build up to four new reactors. One new nuclear unit is expected to be built at Dukovany by 2036; if the project is expanded, up to two units would be built at Dukovany and two at Temelín. Both EDF and KHNP have pledged that Czech companies will account for around 65 percent of the construction work.

Yesterday, the tripartite council also discussed the government’s energy policy. According to Rafaj, it is important for the document to set out the conditions for improving the competitiveness of Czech companies. Středula criticised the policy as insufficiently ambitious, saying it aims to bring energy prices down to the European Union average. He said the policy should aim for lower prices.

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