CEZ chief: French aim not to win dispute, but to stop plant being built in Czechia

According to CEZ chief Daniel Beneš, the French side is not seeking to win the dispute over the completion of the Dukovany nuclear power plant, but to prevent the plant from being built in Czechia at all. Beneš told reporters today in response to a letter sent to Czech Industry Minister Lukáš Vlček (STAN) by European Commission Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné. The European Commission is asking Czechia to postpone signing the contract to build two new nuclear units at the Dukovany plant. It is investigating whether the Korean company KHNP received foreign subsidies that could distort the EU internal market.

The tender was won by the Korean company KHNP, while the French firm EDF was unsuccessful. At EDF’s initiative, the final agreement on Dukovany was also blocked last week by an interim injunction issued by the Regional Court in Brno. Environment Minister Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL) considers the timing of the European Commission’s letter—and the fact that it was sent by a French vice-president—to be no coincidence.

Beneš said today that the letter is dated May 2 and that Vlček should respond soon. “But I am convinced that Czechia should reject what is in the letter,” he said. He described the whole matter as dubious. “It is hard to believe an investigation is under way when nobody asks you anything. The French will do everything they can to ensure that such a power plant is not built. They are not trying to win; they want to prevent a plant from being built here, and that is dramatic news for Czechia,” he said.

According to Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (independent), Séjourné, the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, sent the letter on Friday, May 2, at 10 p.m. Lipavský told CNN Prima News on Sunday that the diplomatic service was assessing the letter and needed to study it in detail. Today, the press department of Černín Palace declined to comment further, referring to the minister’s remarks on Sunday.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Daniel Drake told the Czech News Agency last week that Czech diplomats were discussing with the French side the lawsuit filed by EDF. “In order to maintain good relations with our partners, we will not discuss the content of these talks publicly,” he said.

As part of its preliminary review, the Commission requested information from both ČEZ Group and the Dukovany power plant, as well as from the Korean company KHNP. However, the parties have so far “not provided sufficient information in response to these requests,” the letter says. The preliminary inquiry continues to show significant indications that KHNP received foreign subsidies that could distort the internal market, Séjourné added.

In this connection, the EU executive stresses that it “is not prejudging the final decision”; however, it is currently preparing a decision to launch an in-depth investigation. The Commission is therefore asking Czechia to cooperate until it reaches a final decision and to postpone signing the contract.