A senior official from the European Union (EU), originally from France, demanded that the Czech government halt the contract procedures related to the construction project of the new nuclear power plant by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP).
On the 12th (local time), according to Euractiv and Yonhap News, Lukáš Vlček, the Czech Minister of Industry and Trade, said in an interview with Czech public broadcaster CT that he had received a related letter from the EU Commissioner for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, Stéphane Séjourné, and was preparing a response.
Minister Vlček did not specify the content of the letter. However, he explained that Séjourné's letter reflects the perspectives and opinions of "Électricité de France (EDF)," which competed against KHNP for the Czech new nuclear power plant construction project until the end.
EDF raised an issue with the procedure that selected KHNP as the preferred bidder and filed a lawsuit against the Czech court. On the 6th, the Czech court issued a provisional ruling prohibiting the final contract until a decision on the main lawsuit is made, leading to the cancellation of the final contract signing ceremony scheduled for the next day between KHNP and ČEZ (Czech Power Company).
EDF also objected to KHNP, claiming it violated the EU's foreign subsidies regulation (FSR). The FSR addresses the issue of unfair competition, stating that if a corporation outside the EU receives excessive subsidies from the government or public institutions and participates in public bids or mergers and acquisitions, it will be subject to regulation.
The Czech authorities suspected that Commissioner Séjourné, a former French Foreign Minister, was supporting the domestic nuclear power company. Minister Vlček noted that it is "not a coincidence" that he is originally from France.
Jan Lipavský, the Czech Foreign Minister, also stated in an interview with CNN Prima News that it is "very strange" that the French commissioner was working at 10 p.m. on the day EDF filed its complaint.
Daniel Beneš, the CEO of ČEZ, told Czech CTK news that "the French side will utilize all means to obstruct the construction of the nuclear power plant," adding that the government should not accept the EU's demands.
The new nuclear power project in Dukovany, which KHNP is on the verge of winning, involves the construction of two nuclear power plants in Dukovany, located 220 km south of the Czech capital Prague. The expected project cost, according to the Czech government, is approximately 26 trillion won.