Key facts
- South Korea's industry ministry said it would launch an emergency management system for the Czech Dukovany nuclear plant project.
- KHNP ended contract talks last week with Daewoo Engineering & Construction and Doosan Enerbility after failing to agree on key terms.
- KHNP said it would formally conclude negotiations and prepare a new tender to select a construction contractor.
- KHNP aims to sign with a new consortium by July 2027 so construction can begin in November that year.
- The Dukovany project covers two 1,000-megawatt APR1000 reactors, a South Korean-designed model.
- Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said the minister and vice minister would review key project issues every week.
South Korea will launch an emergency management system for its nuclear power plant project in the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said Monday, after contract negotiations with a construction consortium broke down.
The ministry said the government plans to draw up measures to keep the Czech project on track and prevent a recurrence of similar setbacks. It was set to hold its first meeting on Monday to discuss follow-up measures.
The move follows Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP), the state-run nuclear power operator, ending negotiations last week with a South Korean consortium of Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co. and Doosan Enerbility Co. over a construction contract for the Dukovany plant, after the parties failed to agree on key terms.
KHNP said it would formally conclude the negotiations and begin preparations for a new tender to select a construction contractor, aiming to sign with a new consortium by July 2027 so construction can begin in November that year.
Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said "The minister and vice minister will personally review key project issues every week and take necessary measures for the time being."
The Dukovany project is valued at about 25 trillion won (US$17.5 billion) and covers two 1,000-megawatt APR1000 reactors, a South Korean-designed model, in the Czech Republic. A KHNP-led South Korean consortium won the project last year, after which KHNP entered contract negotiations with the Daewoo-Doosan consortium, which had been designated as the construction contractor.