Geological surveys at the Czech Dukovany site are on schedule and will take about a year

Geological surveys ahead of the construction of new nuclear units at Dukovany, which began this August, are progressing according to plan. Up to 300 boreholes are planned in total, and the surveys are expected to take about a year. South Korean company KHNP, the winning bidder for the construction of the units, announced the news. The company appointed a new project manager in September.

The first boreholes at the Dukovany nuclear power plant in the Třebíč region began in August. They are the first physical works on the project. According to KHNP, the surveys are intended to provide more detailed information about the characteristics and quality of the soil and rock beneath the individual buildings and complexes of the new nuclear units.

Drilling has also begun at the site of future facilities that will ensure nuclear safety. The work also includes the deepest boreholes, beneath the reactor island, which reach depths of up to 140 metres, the South Korean company said.

According to earlier information, the surveys are expected to be carried out entirely by Czech companies. Their cost is expected to run to hundreds of millions of crowns.

As part of further preparations for the construction of the new units, KHNP appointed a new project manager in September: Suh Čun-kjon. He had already helped prepare the Korean company's bid in the Dukovany tender, as well as other project preparations. According to KHNP, his task will be to ensure that the entire construction project is completed on time.

The construction of new nuclear units in Czechia is expected to be the country's largest contract. At current prices, building two reactors at Dukovany is estimated to cost 407 billion crowns. The project is being led by South Korean company KHNP, which won last year's tender. Under the current schedule, the first unit is expected to enter operation in 2036.

Project preparations are continuing without notification approval from the European Commission. The Czech state formally applied for approval in early October. As part of the notification process, the Commission will approve the planned public support for the construction of the two units. The state plans to finance construction through a state loan to Elektrárna Dukovany II, in which it has held a majority stake since this year. Until a decision is made, which is expected by the end of next year, Elektrárna Dukovany II will finance the work with a bridging loan.