CZECH POWER
KHNP presented to the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic Lukáš Vlček and members of the Economic Committee of the Chamber of Deputies an initial plan for the involvement of Czech companies in the completion of the new units of the Dukovany NPP. The event was held in the presence of the leaders of industry associations and the largest Czech suppliers to the nuclear power industry on the floor of the Chamber of Deputies.
The Czech nuclear industry is the second most successful in Europe after France. According to an analysis prepared for the MIT, it has the competence and know-how to participate in the completion of the planned units at the Dukovany NPP from 65 % of the contract volume. “The Czech nuclear industry could thus significantly replace the shortfall of financial resources from the subdued automotive industry in the volume of funds directed to the state budget in the coming years,” says Róbert Teleky, chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic.
Alois Míka, who represents KHNP in the Czech Republic, presented the plan for the involvement of Czech companies in the completion of the Dukovany NPP on behalf of the Korean side. Together with representatives of Korean companies, he presented a timetable for the localisation, i.e. the period in which tenders for individual supplies will be issued. According to him, the first tenders needed to complete the design, including consulting and other services, will be offered in the middle of next year at the earliest. The design of the project will then be completed between 2025 and 2027, when KHNP will start issuing tenders for subcontractors. He also stated that the final percentage of the Czech industry’s involvement will be counted at the end of the year 2039.
Jan Rafaj, President of the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, disagrees. “I often hear that the completion of new nuclear units is the tender of the century in terms of investment. For me, it is also the project of the century in terms of the involvement of Czech industry. I am concerned that the participation of Czech companies will not be addressed in the contract that CEZ and the preferred contractor are going to sign in March next year. There are mechanisms that allow us to address Czech interests already in the EPC contract.” According to him, we live in a world where international companies with different subsidies from parent companies and states compete with each other. “The Czech Republic must protect our industry against hidden instruments that can be dangerous and disadvantage Czech companies. The government and CEZ must find mechanisms that go to the very edge of the possibilities of EU conditions to ensure support for Czech business,” Rafaj added.
For more information on this topic, see for example svetprumyslu.cz.