South Korea and the Czech Republic held the third Dukovany implementation review meeting on the 20th, checking the schedule and local licensing procedures for the Dukovany nuclear project. South Korean Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Kim Jung-kwan signaled hopes that Korean companies will also participate in Temelin Units 3 and 4, and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power secured a preferential negotiating right option for Temelin when it signed the Dukovany contract. The two sides also shared concerns that the EU’s Industrial Acceleration Act could restrict non-EU countries’ access to the nuclear power market, and agreed to hold the fourth review meeting in South Korea within the year.
South Korea has begun monitoring implementation of the Czech Republic’s Dukovany new nuclear power plant construction project, while also moving in earnest to win an additional order for Temelin Units 3 and 4. South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Minister Kim Jung-kwan held the third Dukovany implementation review meeting by video link with Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlicek on the 20th to discuss ways to expand nuclear cooperation.
At the meeting, the two sides confirmed that the Dukovany project is proceeding on the schedule set so far and reviewed plans to carry out follow-up procedures, including applications for local licensing in the Czech Republic, in a timely manner. The review body, launched early this year with the participation of both governments, Czech state-owned project company EDU II and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, held its third meeting following the second in June.
The most notable item was the discussion of Temelin Units 3 and 4, which the Czech Republic is considering building. “Large-scale nuclear plants are needed to support the development of the Czech Republic’s advanced industries,” Kim said. “I hope the South Korea-Czech nuclear partnership will continue from Dukovany to Temelin Units 3 and 4.” The Temelin plant in the southern Czech Republic currently operates Units 1 and 2, and construction of Units 3 and 4 has not yet been confirmed.
When Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power signed the contract with EDU II last year to build Dukovany Units 5 and 6, it included an option securing preferential negotiating rights for the Temelin Units 3 and 4 project. If the additional Temelin construction is confirmed, South Korea will have secured a foothold to sit at the negotiating table without a separate competitive bidding process. Tomas Ehler, director of the nuclear and new technologies department at the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade, said during a visit to South Korea in April that “we received a competitive proposal from Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power” and that “if Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power carries out both the Dukovany Units 5 and 6 and the new Temelin Units 3 and 4 projects, there will certainly be synergies.”
The two ministers also shared concerns that the European Union’s Industrial Acceleration Act could excessively restrict market access for non-EU countries such as South Korea. Kim raised problems with the direction of discussions on the bill announced in March, stressing that with the EU’s nuclear supply chain weakened, cooperation with countries that have excellent supply chains such as South Korea is essential to smoothly carry out Europe’s nuclear construction plans. He then asked the Czech government to make diplomatic efforts to ensure the bill does not undermine bilateral nuclear cooperation.
The two countries agreed to hold the fourth Dukovany implementation review meeting in South Korea within the year and to push for cooperation events among nuclear companies. The plan is to make the cooperation channel permanent, covering not only Dukovany but also Temelin.
The discussions are seen as a bellwether for whether South Korea’s nuclear industry can build on its first major order in the European market and expand into additional projects. If Temelin Units 3 and 4 lead to an actual order, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and its equipment and construction partners will deepen their European track record, while the direction of South Korea-Czech coordination over EU regulatory barriers is expected to emerge as a variable in future order competition.
Source: Big Go Finance