Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power submits bid for Czech reactor
Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) said Thursday that it submitted a bid for the Czech Republic’s 1.2 gigawatt Dukovany nuclear power plant.
The project will cost an estimated $6 billion.
According to KHNP, Executive Vice President Nam Yon-shik, who is in charge of global business, handed the Korean company’s bid to Elektrárna Dukovany II (EDU II) CEO Petr Závodský.
EDU II is a subsidiary of CEZ and created solely for the nuclear power plant project.
The Korean executive emphasized the competitiveness of Korean reactors versus those of EDF and Westinghouse, not only in terms performance but also cost and safety.
Nam also pitched the Korean company’s other strengths, including increased cooperation with local companies and the Korean government’s full support.
A similar sales pitch was made by the KHNP executive during his meeting earlier with Tomas Ehler, Czech Republic's deputy minister of industry and trade.
The meeting took place during Ehler’s visit to the Barakah nuclear plant in the United Arab Emirates, Korea’s first and only nuclear power plant built abroad.
In a Twitter post, Ehler noted that the visit to “the project of the applicant for the construction of new nuclear sources in the Czech Republic,” was a “valuable experience.”
KHNP said the proposal not only meets all of the technical requirements requested by the Czech Republic but also offers improved safety features to protect against major accidents, collisions and cyber attacks.
“We plan to submit the final bid after making corrections according to demands from the client,” said Whang Joo-ho, KNHP CEO. “We will do our best to be selected.”
In addition to KNHP, France’s EDF and U.S. Westinghouse have submitted bids for EDU II.
The Czech Republic plans to select a winner by 2024, with construction beginning on the 1.2 gigawatt pressurized water reactor in 2029.
The reactor is to operate starting 2036.
Up to three additional new nuclear reactors are also under consideration.
The Czech Republic already operates six nuclear reactors, which supply 30 percent of the country’s electricity supply. Four of the reactors are located at Dukovany.
The first reactor went online in 1985.
KHNP has recently been increasing overseas sales.
Earlier this year, it signed a contract to build the turbine island at Russia’s Rosatom-led El Dabaa nuclear power plant project in Egypt.
In October, it received assurances from the Polish government that it would receive business related to the construction of a nuclear power plant.
BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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