Czech Republic: There will be no tender for Dukovany until the end of the year

The tender for the new nuclear unit in Dukovany will not be announced until the end of the year. Today, the Standing Committee on Nuclear Energy discussed with the opposition four possible options, which will be discussed by the heads of parliamentary parties by the end of January and then decided. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Transport Karel Havlíček (for YES) told ČTK after the meeting.

According to him, the mentioned variants include a scenario where all five current candidates will be invited to the tender, the second option is to invite three candidates without Russia and China. Another option is the so-called 3 + 2 model, where Russia and China could participate in consortia, but would not be leaders. The fourth option is to postpone the selection procedure until after the parliamentary elections next year.

Havlíček himself described the 3 + 2 model as the most acceptable.

Havlicek said, it is a variant where we would not spill a bath with the child, we would secure a competitive tender, we would be able to reduce the price and at the same time protect the security interests of the state.

The possible participation of Russia and China in the tender was criticized by part of the opposition. She argued, among other things, security aspects. According to the available information, the possible bidders of the Dukovany tender include the Russian Rosatom, the Chinese company CGN, the North American company Westinghouse, the French EdF and the South Korean company KHNP.