S. Korea's KHNP signs final nuclear plant contract with Czech Republic after court injunction lifted: report
This undated file photo provided by Daewoo Engineering & Construction shows the Dukovany nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic. Yonhap
Korea's state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) has signed a final contract to build a nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic, following the lifting of a court injunction that had blocked the deal, Reuters reported Wednesday.
According to the report, Czech Prime Minister Petra Fiala confirmed the KHNP and the Czech state-controlled company Elektrarna Dukovany II (EDU II) signed the agreement after the Czech Supreme Administrative Court overturned an injunction that barred the signing of the final contract to build two new nuclear power units in Dukovany nuclear power plant.
The KHNP earlier confirmed media reports that the injunction had been lifted, clearing a major hurdle for the multibillion-dollar project.
The move came following EDU II's appeal last month against a local court decision to issue an injunction temporarily suspending the finalization of the estimated 26 trillion-won ($18.6 billion) deal at the request of French energy company EDF, a losing bidder in the tender process.
The KHNP had initially planned to sign the final agreement with EDU II on May 7 to build two 1,063-megawatt reactors at the Czech power plant, located about 170 kilometers southeast of Prague.
The deal marks South Korea's first overseas nuclear power plant contract since 2009, when the country secured a deal to build the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates.