Representatives of the tripartite are asking the government to continue preparations for a tender for the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Dukovany. At the same time, they do not want to reduce the number of bidders, according to them, this would make construction more expensive and, consequently, increase energy prices. This was stated by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Transport Karel Havlíček (for YES) after today’s tripartite meeting. The afternoon will be followed by negotiations on the project of representatives with the chairmen of parliamentary political parties.
The Confederation of Industry and Transport rejects the possibility of postponement due to the upcoming elections to the Chamber of Deputies. He would consider it an irresponsible gamble. He points out that the government must not jeopardize the country’s energy self-sufficiency and security. “There is nothing to wait for. We want and need the core in the Czech Republic, as a condition for the decline of coal in 2038 it is stated in the recommendation of the Coal Commission. reason for postponing such a fundamental matter, “said the president of the union Jaroslav Hanák.
The early announcement of the tender was also supported by the chairman of the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions (ČMKOS) Josef Středula. He stressed the need for an energy mix in the country and warned of possible power outages in the future.
At the same time, the members of the tripartite do not want the government to exclude any of the bidders for the construction at the beginning of the tender. “The larger the number of applicants, the lower the price will be,” Hanák said. According to him, the costs of building a new nuclear power plant will also be reflected in subsequent energy prices. According to the tripartite, potential security threats should be taken into account by the state only during or at the end of the competition.
Part of the opposition has long criticized the possible participation of Russian and Chinese companies in the tender. According to her, they would be a security threat.
Vladimír Dlouhý, President of the Chamber of Commerce, also attended today’s meeting. He agreed to launch the tender quickly and also to maintain a wide portfolio of candidates.
Havlíček has already talked about four variants of how the choice of supplier could be solved. According to him, this includes a scenario where all five current bidders will be invited to the tender, the second option is to invite three bidders without Russia and China. Another option is the so-called 3 + 2 model, where Russia and China could participate in supplier consortia, but would not be leaders, and the remaining members would be from the European Union and NATO. The fourth option is to postpone the selection procedure until this year’s parliamentary elections. Havlíček himself described the 3 + 2 model as the most acceptable before Christmas.
The model of financing the new nuclear unit in Dukovany in the Třebíč region for approximately EUR 6 billion (approximately CZK 162 billion) was approved by the Czech government last year. The state and CEZ concluded contracts for the planned new Dukovany bloc at the end of last July. In addition to the umbrella agreement, Havlíček and Beneš also signed an agreement which defines the zoning permit for the location of the construction and sets the deadlines for the selection of the construction contractor. At that time, Beneš said that the company would like the order of applicants for the construction of a new unit at the end of 2022.
Source: CTK
