Seoul to launch emergency response system for Czech nuclear project

SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will launch an emergency management system to keep its nuclear power plant project in the Czech Republic on track following the breakdown of contract negotiations with a construction consortium, the industry ministry said Monday.

Under the system, the government plans to draw up measures to keep the Czech project on track and prevent a recurrence of similar setbacks, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.

The move comes after Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP), the country's state-run nuclear power operator, ended negotiations last week with a South Korean consortium comprising Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co. and Doosan Enerbility Co. on a construction contract for the Dukovany nuclear power plant project, after failing to agree on key terms.

The ministry is set to hold its first meeting on Monday to discuss follow-up measures.

KHNP said it would formally conclude the negotiations and begin preparations for a new tender to select a construction contractor.

The company aims to sign a contract with a new consortium by July 2027 to allow construction to begin in November that year.

"The minister and vice minister will personally review key project issues every week and take necessary measures for the time being," Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said.

The Dukovany project, valued at about 25 trillion won (US$17.5 billion), involves the construction of two 1,000-megawatt APR1000 reactors, a South Korean-designed model, in the Czech Republic.

A South Korean consortium led by KHNP won the project last year. KHNP subsequently entered into contract negotiations with the Daewoo-Doosan consortium, which had been designated as the construction contractor.

kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
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