Home > Business > Industry

Czech Republic appeals court injunction halting nuclear plant deal with Korea

Published: 20 May. 2025, 13:32 Updated: 20 May. 2025, 14:53

Pylons carry high voltage electricity cables past cooling towers operating at the Dukovany nuclear power plant operated by CEZ AS, near the village of Dukovany, Czech Republic, on May 12. [EPA/YONHAP]

The Czech Republic's energy authorities appealed a court injunction earlier this week that has temporarily blocked the signing of a multibillion-dollar nuclear power plant contract with Korea, industry sources in Seoul said Tuesday.

Earlier this month, a Czech regional court issued an injunction temporarily suspending the finalization of the estimated 26 trillion-won ($18.6 billion) project, following a legal challenge filed by French energy company EDF, which lost to a Korean consortium led by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) in the tender process.

Elektrarna Dukovany II (EDU II), a subsidiary of the state-run energy company CEZ and the entity in charge of the project, filed the appeal with the Czech Supreme Administrative Court on Monday, according to the sources.

KHNP had initially planned to sign the final agreement with EDU II on May 7. However, the signing ceremony was abruptly postponed just one day prior due to the injunction.

The project involves the construction of two 1,063-megawatt reactors at the Dukovany nuclear power plant, located about 170 kilometers (105.6 miles) southeast of Prague.

If the project proceeds as planned, it will mark Korea's first overseas nuclear power plant contract since 2009, when a KHNP-led consortium secured a deal to build the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates.

Yonhap