KHNP begins training EDU II employees on reactor technology for Czech Dukovany

South Korean company KHNP has begun training employees of Elektrárna Dukovany II (EDU II) on the APR1000 nuclear reactor technology that will form the basis of the planned units at Dukovany. The Koreans will also introduce them to their project procedures. KHNP informed the Czech News Agency (ČTK).

KHNP won the Czech nuclear tender last year. The first unit at Dukovany is expected to be completed in 2036. The construction of the new nuclear units is set to be the largest contract in Czechia. At current prices, the cost of the currently preferred construction of two reactors at Dukovany amounts to 407 billion koruna.

"It is very important that we get on the same page right from the start. We will cover a wide range of topics, from introducing KHNP itself and the way it manages its projects to ensuring the required quality and schedule, as well as the technical description and characteristics of the APR1000 reactors," said KHNP project manager Kihyun Kang.

The training, which is one of the requirements of the final contract for Dukovany, began on Wednesday. Around 240 EDU II employees will take part. KHNP will provide them with a detailed introduction to the reactor technology, the detailed project schedule, the construction structure and the basics of the Korean energy sector. According to KHNP, the training programme is designed to prepare EDU II employees at all levels for the project's implementation.

"We have long stressed that, although we have ordered a turnkey delivery, we see our relationship with KHNP not as one between client and supplier, but much more as a partnership. This is also why we wanted our employees to have access to detailed information concerning the entire project," said Petr Závodský, CEO of Elektrárna Dukovany II.

KHNP managers have also met in recent weeks with representatives of Czech companies seeking to become suppliers for part of the project. Preparations for the construction of the new nuclear units at Dukovany are meanwhile continuing with geological surveys of the site. These began in August and, according to KHNP, have so far proceeded as planned. Up to 300 boreholes are planned in total, with the surveys expected to last around a year.