Contract for 24 trillion won Czech nuclear power plant temporarily suspended

[Anchor]

The 24 trillion won Czech nuclear power project has hit a temporary snag.

Due to objections from competitors in France and the United States, the Czech antitrust authority has implemented a preliminary measure to temporarily suspend the nuclear power plant contract with Korea.

Our government maintains that there will be no issues with the main contract early next year, as this is a standard procedure following the complaints.

Choi Yoo-kyung reports.

[Report]

The new nuclear power plant construction project in Dukovany, Czech Republic, began as a three-way competition involving Korea, France, and the United States.

After the bidding competition, three months ago, Czech Republic selected Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power as the preferred negotiator.

[Petr Fiala/Czech Prime Minister/July: "Korea's proposal was superior in almost all criteria."]

With the final contract approaching in March next year, the Czech antitrust authority has implemented a preliminary measure to request a temporary suspension of the contract signing process.

This is in response to complaints filed by France's Électricité de France and Westinghouse from the U.S., both of which lost in the bidding competition.

However, they cautioned against overestimating the results of the review, stating, "This is a procedure that is always issued when necessary to ensure the purpose of administrative procedures."

The final contract cannot be signed until the review results, which can take up to 60 days, or a maximum of 120 days, are released.

[Jung Dong-wook/Professor, Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Chung-Ang University: "When the power company conducts the bidding review, they look at whether it adhered to the fair trading rules of the Czech government, whether information was requested fairly, and whether judgments were made based on fair criteria. We need to wait calmly for the result..."]

Our government and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power believe that the standard procedure following the complaints will not hinder the progress of the main negotiations, and while they cannot predict the duration and results, they assert that there will be no impact since the final contract is set for March next year.

Meanwhile, following the selection of the preferred negotiator, a 60-member delegation from the Czech electricity company that placed the nuclear power plant order will visit Korea for the first time in mid-November.

They are expected to conduct a two-week inspection of the nuclear power plant and detailed negotiations with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power.

KBS News, Choi Yoo-kyung.