Government to decide next year on new units at Czech Temelín, Havlíček says

The government will decide next year on the construction of two new nuclear units at Temelín. If construction is approved, it should then exercise an option included in the contract with South Korean company KHNP for the construction of units at Dukovany. However, the contract is not certain to be awarded to the Koreans, as other interested parties will also be able to submit bids. Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlíček (ANO) told the Czech News Agency (ČTK) in an interview. According to him, the state cannot do without new units at Temelín, as the new reactors at Dukovany will not be sufficient.

State-owned company Elektrárna Dukovany II (EDU II) signed a contract with KHNP last year for the construction of two nuclear units at Dukovany. The first unit should be completed in 2036. The construction of the new nuclear units is expected to be the largest contract in Czechia. At current prices, the cost of the currently preferred construction of two reactors at Dukovany amounts to CZK 407 billion. The contract also includes an option to build two further units at Temelín.

"We are ready to go ahead with it, because we cannot do without those units," Havlíček said.

First, however, the government must decide on the construction itself. It is expected to make that decision in 2027, and the minister assumes that the cabinet will approve the project. "I cannot imagine it turning out otherwise, because when we look at the energy balance, it cannot turn out any other way," Havlíček added.

If construction is approved, the minister said steps should follow to exercise the option with KHNP under the Dukovany contract. The details of the offer, which is nearly ready, will then be addressed.

According to Havlíček, however, this does not automatically mean that the Koreans are certain to build Temelín. "Other players will also have the opportunity to offer their price, for example the French or Americans. And we will want to see further offers," he stressed.

At the same time, Havlíček conceded that KHNP would have an advantage in the competition. "We definitely want to build the two units at Dukovany with them. And I can imagine that they will have excellent terms for Temelín as well. But perhaps someone else will offer even better terms," the minister said.

According to Havlíček, the selection method will depend on the form in which parties interested in the construction contract wish to participate. It therefore need not be a public tender as in the case of Dukovany.

Preparations for the construction of new nuclear units at Dukovany are meanwhile continuing with geological surveys of the site. They began last August and, according to KHNP, have so far proceeded according to plan. Up to 300 boreholes are planned in total, and the surveys should take approximately one year.