Deadline for bids in Czech nuclear tender extended to 30 April at EDF's request

The deadline for submitting binding bids to build up to four nuclear units in Czechia will be extended by two weeks, giving bidders until 30 April. French company EDF requested the extension to the original deadline. The other bidder is South Korea’s KHNP. ČEZ and the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MPO) announced the news today. They said the project timeline would remain unchanged despite the extension.

At the end of October last year, North American company Westinghouse, South Korea’s KHNP and France’s EDF submitted final bids to build one nuclear unit at Dukovany. The bidders also submitted non-binding bids for three additional reactors. After reviewing the bids, the government invited EDF and KHNP at the beginning of this year to submit binding bids for the construction of up to four new reactors at Dukovany and Temelín. Westinghouse, whose original bid did not meet the requirements, will not continue to the next stage of the tender, the government said.

According to ČEZ, the French company cited its internal approval processes as the reason for its request. The Czech side granted it. “This is a standard process; we have approved similar extensions of a few weeks in the past. Our goal is to secure the highest-quality binding bids possible, ensuring the best possible terms for the Czech Republic. We therefore decided to grant the request for a two-week extension, which will not affect the project timeline,” said Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Síkela (STAN).

The government is expected to receive the evaluated bids by 15 June; ČEZ will be responsible for analysing them. According to ČEZ, the deadline extension will not affect the timeline for the overall project. Construction of the first reactor is due to begin in 2029, with trial operation starting in 2036.

The new reactor project is expected to be the largest investment in the Czech Republic’s modern history. According to previous statements by the government and ČEZ, each new reactor is expected to cost around 160 billion crowns in 2020 prices. Government representatives declined to comment on the prices offered in the original bids for one unit, but said the bids showed that it made sense to consider building more reactors, which will be needed as coal-fired sources are phased out and electricity consumption is expected to rise. Experts estimate that building four new reactors could cost around two trillion crowns.

Czechia has six nuclear units at two power plants. Two units, each with a capacity of approximately 1000 megawatts (MW), are at Temelín in South Bohemia. Four smaller units, with a capacity of 510 MW, are at Dukovany in the Třebíč area. Alongside new conventional reactors, ČEZ is also preparing to build small modular reactors. The first is expected to be built at Temelín.