June 6, 2025
SEOUL – South Korea has clinched a landmark $18 billion contract with the Czech state utility to build new nuclear reactors in the Czech Republic, following a court decision to lift an injunction that had temporarily blocked the signing.
This is Korea’s second-ever nuclear export project, following the Barakah plant in the United Arab Emirates in 2009.
Czech Prime Minister Petra Fiala announced the closing of the deal in a nationally televised press conference Wednesday, just hours after the Czech Supreme Administrative Court lifted the injunction filed by EDF, a French bidder that lost the tender.
“We have removed all doubts and legal obstacles that prevented the nuclear power plant project from being launched,” Fiala said during the conference.
The signing took place digitally between Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and Elektrarna Dukovany II (EDU II), a subsidiary of the Czech state-run utility in charge of operating the nuclear plants in Dukovany.
Under the agreement, KHNP will build two 1,000 megawatt APR-1000 reactors — Dukovany Units 5 and 6 — with completion targeted for 2036 and 2037, respectively.
“The deal is a testament to the technological excellence and global reliability of Korea’s nuclear industry,” KHNP CEO Whang Joo-ho said.
“KHNP will carry out the project with the highest safety and quality standards, strengthening Korea’s competitiveness in the global nuclear energy market.”
The deal marks a symbolic milestone for Korea, which once imported European nuclear technologies, but is now exporting its own, KHNP said. Korea adopted France’s Framatome reactor for its Hanul 1 and 2 units in 1982.
KHNP will serve as the lead EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contractor and oversee the full scope of the project while working with a consortium of top Korean firms. Kepco E&C will be in charge of design and engineering, and Doosan Enerbility will be responsible for equipment supply and construction.
Daewoo E&C will lead the structural construction, while Kepco NF and Kepco KPS will each take on nuclear fuel supply and commissioning and maintenance.
KHNP said it plans to establish an onsite project office near the Dukovany plant to facilitate early-stage work, such as permitting, site surveys and document management.
The energy firm said it would hold two briefing sessions this year outlining the qualification requirements and technical standards for Korean suppliers interested in participating in the Czech project.
KHNP had originally been set to sign the deal on May 7, after being named preferred bidder over France’s EDF and US-based Westinghouse in July 2024. The signing was postponed, however, when a Czech court accepted a last-minute injunction filed by EDF, which claimed irregularities in the bidding process.
Despite the delay, both sides continued preparations. KHNP and EDU II appealed the ruling, and the higher court said Wednesday it found the injunction’s claims unsubstantiated.
The Czech government also preapproved the contract between CEZ and KHNP, allowing the deal to proceed immediately if the injunction was lifted.
The Dukovany project is part of the Czech Republic’s largest infrastructure initiative for long-term energy security and decarbonization goals.
With the Czech government expected to decide within the next five years on expanding the Temelin nuclear site, KHNP remains eligible to negotiate additional contracts for the potential new units.
herim@heraldcorp.com