The final contract for the construction of new units at the Dukovany nuclear power plant may not be signed by the end of the current parliamentary term, as it depends on the decision of the court, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said during an interview with Radiozurnal yesterday.
However, Fiala (ODS) said the 2036 deadline for the first unit to be put into operation was not yet in danger.
ANO deputy leader Karel Havlicek described the final stage of the tender as an “unbelievable scandal” and an “international disgrace”.
The signing of the final agreement with the Korean firm KHNP was originally planned for 7 May, but the Regional Court in Brno blocked the signing the day before with an interim injunction.
The decision was made at the request of the French company EDF, which challenged the decision of the Czech Office for the Protection of Competition (UOHS). The court has not yet ruled on the EDF lawsuit. EDF was unsuccessful in the tender and its objections were subsequently rejected by UOHS.
Fiala stressed that he still hoped that the current government would be able to conclude the Dukovany contract in time.
“But now, we don’t know whether it will really be done. It does not depend on us, it is now in the hands of the courts,” the prime minister said. He said the cabinet had fulfilled all the tasks necessary to complete the nuclear tender.
If the court were to lift the interim injunction blocking the signing of the contract with KHNP, everything would be ready to conclude the agreement as soon as possible, the prime minister said.
He also described the steps taken by the French EDF as very strong. “I understand that the unsuccessful bidder has the right to use legal remedies, but the French side is already going very far,” he said.
However, despite the current delay in the tender, the prime minister said the 2036 deadline for the first unit to come into operation was not yet in danger. “However, if the whole current situation continues to drag on for weeks and months, it will get worse and the risks will increase,” he added.
Havlicek argued that the current government had everything ready from the previous cabinet of Andrej Babis (ANO), and had enough time to finish everything.
“It did not manage to prepare the financial model and the purchase of the EDU II share in time, it did not secure the share of Czech industry, and completely botched the signing process. In addition, it did not manage the communication with the European Commission. I am of the opinion that the signing is now unrealistic,” Havlicek told CTK.
He said there was still a chance to continue negotiations on Czech participation in the supply, but relations with KHNP, EDF and the European Commission must be mended and negotiations must be carried out patiently.
“If there is a delay of months, it is not a tragedy, but the next government must not underestimate anything,” said Havlicek, a former industry and transport minister. “That is why I am already negotiating with all parties.”
Last July, the Czech government decided to build two new nuclear units at Dukovany, south Moravia. It selected the bid from Korea’s KHNP over that of France’s EDF. Another bidder, the US firm Westinghouse, was eliminated from the competition earlier.
The construction of the new nuclear units in the Czech Republic is expected to be the largest domestic contract ever. The costs of the currently preferred construction option of two units at Dukovany are CZK 407 billion at current prices.
