Czech Republic temporarily halts nuclear deal with Korea

Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant in Czechia. (AFP/Yonhap)

South Korea’s contract to build a new nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic has temporarily been put on hold.

The decision came as the Czech antitrust office (UOHS) followed the required procedures after French electricity utility Électricité de France SA (EDF) and U.S. nuclear power company Westinghouse Electric Company LLC raised objections.

According to AFP and Reuters on Wednesday, the Czech antitrust authority put a partial hold on a deal between its government and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) to build a new nuclear power plant.

The Czech government selected KHNP as the preferred bidder for the expansion of the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant in July 2024, with a final contract set to be signed by March 2025.

Westinghouse and EDF, which lost in the bidding competition, filed objections with the Czech antitrust office following KHNP’s selection as the preferred bidder.

A UOHS official said that the temporary suspension is a “standard procedure in response to objections from EDF and Westinghouse” and that it does not imply any decision regarding the contract with the Korean government.

Czech state utility company CEZ, which commissioned the project, also dismissed the possibility of a broader interpretation, saying that “we are confident that we have complied with relevant laws since selecting the preferred bidder.”

The Korean government maintains that it is merely a standard procedure following the receipt of a complaint by a competition authority.

“Westinghouse filed a similar complaint in 2014 and the same action was taken, but it had no impact on the final contract,” an official from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said.

A KHNP official also said that “the contract negotiations are proceeding smoothly, aiming for the originally scheduled conclusion in March 2025.