Transparency International (TI) has sent an open letter to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) regarding a tender for the construction of a new unit at the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant. Among other things, TI criticizes the misinformation of the public, for example, according to her, it has not yet been satisfactorily explained how the project will be financed and, above all, how much it will actually cost. The organization said this on Twitter today.
“The previous government of Andrej Babiš (ANO) turned him into a non-transparent farce. Unfortunately, the current cabinet of Petr Fiala (ODS), in addition to a clear determination to announce the tender quickly, did not improve the transparency of the whole process,” Transparency International lawyer Jan Dupák said on Twitter.
“The situation was tense mainly due to active efforts to involve suppliers from security and politically risky countries, but even after the exclusion of Russian and Chinese companies from participating in the tender, public information about the project did not improve. Geopolitical risks were not and are not the only factor “which affects the profitability or even meaningfulness of the investment,” the organization said in an open letter.
According to TI, experience from abroad shows that it is currently a big problem to build new nuclear units on time and at a pre-agreed price. There have been many delays and the actual costs far exceed the original assumptions. “The previous price of CZK 162 billion announced by the government was significantly underestimated not only in this light, but also according to experts.
“If the tender for the expansion of the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant is to be announced, we consider it absolutely essential that the public first be asked questions about how the project will be financed and what the maximum expected cost to public budgets will be. is the procedure of the government, ie the investor ČEZ, as, in accordance with European and Czech law, so that there is no further professional discrediting of the Czech government in an effort to enforce the construction of a new nuclear unit and the related multibillion-dollar losses of public funds,” said TI.
Prime Minister Fiala said over the weekend that the government will launch a tender this week for the construction of a new nuclear unit in Dukovany. According to ČTK, this is expected to happen during his visit to Dukovany today. Applicants for the construction of a new unit in Dukovany include the French company EDF, the South Korean KHNP and the North American Westinghouse.
The Prime Minister has previously stated that the evaluation of the tender should be completed by the end of 2024. The issuance of a building permit is expected in 2029. According to him, the trial operation must be launched in 2036.
The Czech Republic has six nuclear units in two power plants. Two units, each with an output of approximately 1000 megawatts (MW), are in Temelín, South Bohemia. Four smaller units with an output of 510 MW are located in Dukovany.
Source: TI and CZK
Photo: Petr Adamek
