Korea and Czech Republic Step Up Dukovany Nuclear Cooperation... Kim Jeonggwan "Hope to Extend Nuclear Partnership to Temelin"

Establishing a ministerial-level consultative body to review project implementation
Raising expectations for winning additional Temelin nuclear power orders

Kim Jeonggwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, met with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babi in the meeting room of the Prime Minister's Office in the Czech Republic on the 16th (local time) and delivered a congratulatory letter from President Lee Jaemyung on his inauguration. Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The governments of Korea and the Czech Republic have established a ministerial-level consultative body to ensure the seamless implementation of the Dukovany new nuclear power plant construction project and have begun in earnest to strengthen cooperation. They also confirmed their intention to use the Dukovany project as a starting point to expand the scope of cooperation to the Temelin nuclear power plant in the future. As the Czech government is keeping the possibility of additional nuclear power plant construction open as part of its medium- to long-term energy strategy, some observers believe that the Dukovany project could serve as a bridgehead for subsequent projects.

On February 16 (local time), at the invitation of the Czech government, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeonggwan visited Prague and held successive meetings with Prime Minister Andrej Babis and Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlicek to discuss ways to cooperate on nuclear power.

Minister Kim conveyed President Lee Jaemyung's congratulations on Prime Minister Babis's inauguration and his regards, and delivered a personal letter. He said, "We will spare no effort to provide support so that the Dukovany nuclear power plant can be successfully constructed," adding, "We hope to further solidify the cooperative framework between our two countries so that, following Dukovany, we can also cooperate at Temelin."

Located in southern Czech Republic, the Temelin nuclear power plant is a large-scale nuclear complex currently operating two units. Although the construction of additional units was previously discussed and then put on hold, the expansion potential has recently been raised again as energy security considerations and coal phase-out policies intersect.

Minister Kim and Minister Havlicek agreed to establish a ministerial-level consultative body to review the implementation status of the Dukovany new nuclear power plant construction project and to discuss measures for smooth project promotion and support, and they held the first meeting. The consultative body will be operated three to four times a year either by video conference or in person, and the president of EDUⅡ, the project owner, and the president of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, the supplier, will also participate. This consultative body will be operated within the existing Supply Chain-Energy Dialogue (SCED) framework established between the two countries' industry ministries.

At the turbine supply contract signing ceremony between Doosan Enerbility and Doosan Skoda Power held at the Prime Minister's Office in Prague, Czech Republic on the 16th (local time), Kim Jeonggwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy (right rear), and Havlicek Karel, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic (left rear), are posing for a commemorative photo with the company executives who completed the signing. Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

In the presence of the industry ministers of both countries, a signing ceremony was also held for subcontracting agreements between Korean and Czech companies. A total of two contracts were signed, including a turbine supply contract between Doosan Enerbility and Doosan Skoda Power. Within the industry, there is an assessment that the cooperation structure and equipment supply experience built through the Dukovany project could become a key reference determining participation in additional nuclear power projects such as Temelin in the future.

Minister Kim said, "The Czech Dukovany new nuclear power plant project is more than a simple infrastructure project; it will become a symbol of strong solidarity and cooperation between the two governments and companies for decades to come," adding, "Following the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates, it will once again serve as an opportunity to prove to the world the competitiveness of Korea's nuclear power plant construction capabilities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.