Alliance: Role of Czech companies in Dukovany unit construction could be clear by spring

The way and extent to which Czech companies will be involved in building the new nuclear unit at Dukovany could be defined as early as the first quarter of next year. The Czech Energy Alliance, which represents the country’s largest technology companies in the nuclear energy supply sector, said this today in a press release sent to the Czech News Agency (ČTK). According to the release, representatives of Czech companies agreed with potential suppliers to do their utmost to meet that deadline. In the meantime, Czech companies are gradually reaching non-binding agreements on future cooperation with bidders in the Dukovany tender.

All three bidders submitted their final offers to build a nuclear unit at Dukovany at the end of October: North American company Westinghouse, South Korea’s KHNP and France’s EDF. The bidders also submitted non-binding offers for three additional reactors. The evaluation is currently being carried out by ČEZ, which is in charge of the entire tender. The new unit is expected to be completed by 2036.

„It is important that the tendering authority, the expert community, Czech companies and residents of the Czech Republic are informed in advance about the expected volume and the form of Czech industry’s involvement in what will be the largest investment in the history of the Czech Republic, as proposed by each bidder,” said Josef Perlík, executive director of the Czech Energy Alliance.

Representatives of Czech companies held talks with potential suppliers and state representatives at an international nuclear energy trade fair in Paris. According to the alliance, all parties agreed to do their utmost to ensure that the details and extent of Czech industry’s involvement in completing new nuclear power sources in the Czech Republic are defined in the first quarter of next year.

The alliance is also reaching non-binding cooperation agreements with each of the bidders for Dukovany. Most recently, it signed a memorandum with France’s EDF. The agreement builds on a memorandum signed with individual alliance members in 2021 and clarifies the parties’ agreements on future cooperation. Under the document, the French company will share its expertise in industrial development with Czech suppliers. The non-binding memorandum also states that EDF plans to involve Czech companies in building new nuclear power sources in the Czech Republic to a similar extent as in the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant project in the United Kingdom, where local companies carry out 64 percent of the contract value. Czech companies, in turn, have committed to investing in ensuring that their members are prepared to take part in the project.

The alliance signed a similar memorandum with South Korea’s KHNP in September. It is still discussing a similar step with Westinghouse.

According to an analysis presented by the alliance in the spring of this year, Czech industry could provide up to two-thirds of the supplies for the new nuclear units planned in the Czech Republic. The alliance says broad participation by Czech companies in the projects would generate hundreds of billions of crowns in revenue for the Czech economy and secure thousands of jobs.