UOHS, Czechia’s anti-monopoly office, has put a temporary block on the conclusion of a contract with South Korea’s Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) for the construction of two new units at CEZ’s Dukovany nuclear power plant, located in southern Czechia. The temporary block was announced following challenges raised in September 2024 by the US’ Westinghouse and France’s EDF for the construction of the units. UOHS said that the preliminary measure to prohibit the conclusion of the contract was not indicative of how the case will be decided.
KHNP was chosen to deliver its APR1000 reactor, rated 1,055 MWe, in July 2024. CEZ said it believed the preliminary measure would not impact the tender’s schedule. The Czech government and CEZ aim to conclude negotiations with KHNP and sign contracts by the end of March 2025. The first reactor is expected for completion by 2036.
Czechia aims to rise the share of nuclear power from 35% in 2013 to between 46% to 58% by 2040 (40% in 2023). The country gets electricity from the four VVER-440 units at Dukovany, which began operating between 1985 and 1987, and the two VVER-1000 units in operation at Temelín, which came into operation in 2000 and 2002.