Lipavský believes Czech government can see Dukovany reactor project through

Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (independent) believes the Czech government can see through the project to build new units at the Dukovany nuclear power plant in the interests of energy security. He said so in an interview with the Czech News Agency (ČTK). The signing of the final agreement with the tender winner, South Korea’s KHNP, had originally been planned for Wednesday, 7 May, but the Regional Court in Brno blocked the signing with an injunction the day before.

The court ruled on a motion by French company EDF, which challenged a decision by the Czech Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS) in a lawsuit. The office had found the tender to be in order. French European Commission Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné asked in a letter dated 2 May for the signing of the contract to be postponed.

“We are in communication with the French side. I think they have heard our position quite clearly,” Lipavský remarked.

Asked whether the matter could harm mutual relations, he said he would not use such strong words. “I believe common sense will prevail,” he added.

He has also spoken several times with the South Korean ambassador to the Czech Republic. “They are also following the situation closely. I think they are just as keen as we are to see the project through successfully. That is simply a sign that we can trust each other,” the minister noted.

Analysts contacted by ČTK this week said KHNP could withdraw from the contract itself because of the new legal disputes. Asked whether, based on their discussions so far, he had the impression that the South Koreans were planning to do so, Lipavský replied: “Absolutely not.”

KHNP won the Czech nuclear tender last year, with the government preferring its bid to those of EDF and Westinghouse. The construction of new nuclear units in Czechia is expected to be the country’s largest contract. At current prices, the cost of the currently preferred plan to build two reactors at Dukovany is 407 billion crowns.