Fiala expects quick ruling on Dukovany in Czechia, warns of damage from delays

Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) believes the courts will rule as quickly as possible in the dispute over the tender for new units at the Dukovany nuclear power plant. He believes the judges are aware of the risks and damage caused by delays. He was responding today to a question from the Czech News Agency (ČTK) after an off-site government meeting in Kutná Hora. The Regional Court in Brno issued an interim injunction blocking the planned signing of a contract to build the Dukovany units between Elektrárna Dukovany II (EDU II) and South Korean company KHNP, pending a ruling on a complaint by French company EDF, which was unsuccessful in the tender.

"With all due respect for the independence of the judiciary, I believe the judges are aware of the importance of the decision, and of the risks and damage caused by delays. I believe they will act as quickly as possible so that we have a decision we can act on," Fiala said.

The final agreement with KHNP was originally scheduled to be signed on Wednesday, May 7, but the Regional Court in Brno blocked the signing with an interim injunction the day before. It acted on a motion by French company EDF, which challenged the decision of the Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS) in a lawsuit. The office had ruled that the tender was in order. The court has not yet ruled on EDF's lawsuit. EDU II, which is responsible for the nuclear tender, will file an appeal on points of law against the interim injunction with the Supreme Administrative Court (NSS).

The prime minister today reiterated that KHNP's bid was better than its competitor's in every respect. "The choice was absolutely clear," he stressed.

The European Commission (EC) is also examining the tender for the construction of new nuclear units, assessing, following a complaint by EDF, whether KHNP is receiving unauthorized subsidies from the South Korean government. French European Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné sent the Czech government a letter in this connection, urging it to postpone the signing of the contract with KHNP. On Monday, Fiala described the letter as a courtesy gesture rather than an official position of the Commission. The EC subsequently confirmed that it was not legally binding.

Fiala said today that he is in regular contact with EC President Ursula von der Leyen about Dukovany. He said other members of the government are also making use of their contacts. "All my colleagues will use their contacts and channels to explain the Czech Republic's position and emphasize how crucial the completion of Dukovany is for our energy security and for meeting our climate targets," he said.

KHNP won the Czech nuclear tender last year, with the government preferring its bid to those submitted by EDF and Westinghouse. The construction of new nuclear units in Czechia is set to be the country's largest-ever contract. At current prices, the cost of the currently preferred plan to build two reactors at Dukovany is 407 billion crowns. Under the original timetable, the first unit was due to start operating in 2036, but EDU II representatives warned today that the delay in signing the contract will push back the timetable for the entire project.