KHNP and Czech utility ČEZ to cooperate on clean hydrogen development and use

Korean company KHNP, which is responsible for building new nuclear units at Dukovany, will cooperate with Czech energy company ČEZ on the development and further use of clean hydrogen. The companies have signed a memorandum to this effect. KHNP informed the Czech News Agency (ČTK) today.

The signed memorandum envisages cooperation between the two companies across the entire clean hydrogen development chain. This will include research and development of equipment for the production, storage, transport and use of the element, as well as the sharing of important legislative and technological information.

The cooperation concerns clean hydrogen production using electricity from nuclear sources. KHNP and ČEZ will also jointly assess pilot projects and the possibilities for their practical deployment in Czechia.

The partly state-owned ČEZ sees cooperation with the Korean company as beneficial for the further development of hydrogen use. "We see it (hydrogen) as an important element in the decarbonisation of Czech energy and industry, particularly in areas that cannot be easily electrified," said Jan Šícha, director of ČEZ's innovation division.

KHNP succeeded in the domestic nuclear tender last year, with the government preferring its bid over those of EDF and Westinghouse. The first unit at Dukovany is expected to be completed in 2036. The construction of new nuclear units in Czechia is set to be the largest contract since the Czech Republic was founded. At last year's prices, the cost of the currently preferred construction of two reactors at Dukovany amounts to CZK 407 billion.