South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said that he is confident his country will progress with a multibillion-dollar project to build a nuclear plant in the Czech Republic, overcoming challenges against the deal launched by EDF and Westinghouse.
In an interview with Reuters, President Yoon said: “There is no need to worry about the Czech Republic’s nuclear power plant construction project.”
In July, the Czech Government selected Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) to build two reactors in the country, marking South Korea’s first overseas order for a large-scale nuclear power project since its development in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2009. KHNP was selected over France’s EDF in the final round, with two sources close to the matter saying that KHNP put forward a significantly less costly bid than EDF.
However, the following month Westinghouse and EDF challenged the decision. Westinghouse filed an appeal claiming the Korean company did not have the right to transfer and sublicense the nuclear technology offered in its bid as it replicates Westinghouse technology. It also said that it is the only company with the legal right to obtain the required approval from the US Government to export its technology.
Referring to Westinghouse’s complaints about intellectual property rights, Yoon said to Reuters that Seoul and Washington were working to create an “amicable atmosphere”.
“I believe this effort will help facilitate a smooth resolution to any dispute that might arise between the two sides,” he said.
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By GlobalDataPresident Yoon is visiting the Czech Republic from 19 to 22 September. He told Reuters that the purpose of the trip was to ensure that the final contract for the project was concluded seamlessly, and this was of “paramount importance”. The Czech Republic currently has six operable nuclear reactors that generate 4.2GW of energy.