EDU II and KHNP start planning next steps, with geological survey scheduled in Czechia

Elektrárna Dukovany II (EDU II), the company responsible for the nuclear tender in Czechia, began planning the next steps for building nuclear units together with South Korea’s KHNP immediately after the final contracts for Dukovany were signed. A geological survey of the site is scheduled for this summer, for example, and preparations will also begin on permitting and licensing documentation. EDU II chairman Petr Závodský said this at a press conference today.

EDU II and KHNP signed the final contracts this afternoon for the construction of two nuclear units at Dukovany. KHNP won the nuclear tender last year, with the government favoring 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 expected to be the country’s largest project. At current prices, the cost of the currently preferred plan to build two reactors at Dukovany is 407 billion crowns.

Závodský said the contract with KHNP itself was, in his view, of very high quality. “No one will get a contract like this again. I am convinced it is a balanced contract that will make it possible to build the power plant,” he said.

According to Závodský, a geological survey will take place this summer at the Dukovany site where the new reactors are expected to be built. The survey had already been scheduled for the summer, he said, as it could only be carried out at that time of year. “I’m glad we’ll be able to get it done now and won’t have to delay it by a year, for example,” Závodský noted.

The companies have also begun preparing documentation for the various licensing and permitting processes. The key document in this area, according to Závodský, will be the construction permit application, which EDU II will submit to the State Office for Nuclear Safety. “We would like to have it ready by the end of 2026. We have been in long-standing communication with the office,” he added. EDU II is also in talks with regional representatives, Závodský said.

The company still needs notification from the European Commission (EC) for the construction of the units. The Ministry of Industry and Trade is dealing with the Commission on this matter primarily. In considering the notification, the EC is already taking into account, for example, a change to the investor model: EDU II is currently 80% owned by the state and the remaining 20% by ČEZ. The state had previously received EC notification for one unit, but had to apply for a new one after the decision was made to build two. According to Závodský, the earlier notification will serve as a model. “I believe getting it won’t be a problem,” he added of the required notification.