Czech Energy Company (CEZ) formally appealed to the Supreme Court against the decision of a local district court to temporarily prohibit the signing of a new nuclear power plant construction contract with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power.
On the 19th (local time), EDUⅡ, the subsidiary of CEZ and the contractor for a new nuclear power project in the Czech Republic, submitted a petition to the country's Supreme Administrative Court.
On the 6th, the Brno District Court in the Czech Republic accepted the request for a temporary injunction filed by Electricité de France (EDF), which failed to win in the bidding competition against KHNP, to halt the final contract. As a result of this decision, the contract signing ceremony scheduled between KHNP and the Czech contractor for the following day, the 7th, was ultimately canceled.
Daniel Beneš, the president of CEZ, noted in a post on LINKED that "this issue is not limited to just one project but involves trust related to national rule of law, energy strategy, and other factors" and expressed belief that the Supreme Administrative Court would make a prompt decision.
The construction of two new nuclear power plants in Dukovany is a major national project, and if the project is delayed for an extended period, the losses could amount to hundreds of millions of won, indicating that a quick resolution is necessary.
The Czech government is focusing on reducing project delays by pre-approving the new contract for two nuclear power plants between CEZ and KHNP so that a final contract can be signed immediately once the district court's injunction decision is lifted.
Meanwhile, separate from EDUⅡ's appeal, it is reported that KHNP, a party to this contract, is also suffering damages due to project delays and is expected to seek legal relief from the Czech Supreme Administrative Court soon.