CZECH POWER
For more than two years, Czech companies have been negotiating with bidders for the completion of new nuclear units in the Czech Republic about their involvement in the supply chain. The next step towards achieving this goal is the establishment of a memorandum of mutual cooperation between the Czech industry and the French company EDF. The importance of the involvement of Czech companies was also emphasised at the WNE by the Minister of Industry and Trade, Jozef Sikel, who together with representatives of the largest Czech nuclear suppliers visited all three bidders – EDF, Westinghouse and KHNP – at the WNE international trade fair in Paris.
The Czech side is currently evaluating the bids for the completion of the Dukovany NPP, submitted at the end of October this year, with a final statement on the selection of the preferred contractor due in the first half of 2024.
At the WNE (World Nuclear Exhibition) negotiations, all parties involved – i.e. representatives of Czech companies, the Czech state and potential suppliers – agreed to do their utmost to ensure that the detailed manner and extent of the Czech industry’s involvement in the completion of new nuclear power plants in the Czech Republic is defined in the first quarter of next year. “It is important that the tendering authority, the professional public, domestic companies and the people of the Czech Republic are informed in advance about the expected volume and manner of involvement of the Czech industry in the largest investment in the history of the Czech Republic by the individual bidders,” says Josef Perlík, Executive Director of the Czech Energy Alliance.
The reasons are clear. According to an analysis prepared by the University of Economics, the involvement of Czech companies in 65 percent of the scope of supply will have a number of economic benefits for the Czech Republic. The study states that the construction of the four announced units will increase the Czech Republic’s GDP by up to CZK 936 billion and public budget revenues by up to CZK 384 billion. “In the context of the declining performance of the Czech economy, this is an undeniable benefit not only for the individual components of the state budget, but also for the recovery and development of Czech industry and, last but not least, for the deficit accounts of the pension system and a number of other economic and system parameters,” adds Milan Šimonovský, Chairman of the Committee of the Czech Energy Alliance.
Read the full text of the press release issued by CPIA on the website efektivnispory.cz