According to the Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček, the tender for the construction of a new nuclear unit in Dukovany can be announced before the end of the year. He mentioned November or December. It depends on the approval of the law and the delivery and evaluation of the safety questionnaires by the three candidates contacted. Havlíček stated this today in the program Otázky Václava Moravec on Czech Television.
The Czechia approached with an offer to participate in the tender of EdF from France, Westinghouse from the USA, and KHNP from South Korea. According to Havlíček, not everyone has a problem with filling in the safety questionnaire. On the other hand, Russian and Chinese companies were not included in the tender.
“We cannot announce a tender before the safety assessment is completed. We did it because the law was obstructed and there was an agreement that we will not launch the tender before the approved law,” Havlíček said, adding that he expects the law to be approved in September. According to Havlíček, the total time for evaluating the offer after signing the contract is 28 to 29 months and is divided into a qualification part, ie a safety assessment, and the tender itself.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the entry price of the construction of the new unit is between 140 and 160 billion crowns according to the exchange rate and subsequently the price of money, ie interest for financing. If it borrows CEZ on the market, it can be around six or eight percent. If he borrowed from the state, it could be two to three percent.
According to Senator Lukáš Wagenknecht (Pirates), the total price of the new block will reach 400 billion crowns and due to the delay of similar constructions in Europe, the expected completion date of 2036 is endangered. Helena Langšádlová (TOP 09) ) accused Havlíček of holding Russian Rosatom, who was eventually expelled from the tender after the Vrbětická case. Havlíček denied it. According to him, it is also technically impossible that the Russian participation in the tender would return to the game after the elections.
The new nuclear unit is to serve as a new energy source after the gradual decline of coal-fired power plants. Renewables are also partly covered by the attenuation.