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Friday, June 6, 2025

Czech Republic finalizes $18B nuclear power contract with South Korea, overcoming French opposition

Cooling towers operating at the Dukovany nuclear power plant operated by CEZ AS, near the village of Dukovany, Czech Republic, on May 6, 2025 [Lim Sung-bin]
Cooling towers operating at the Dukovany nuclear power plant operated by CEZ AS, near the village of Dukovany, Czech Republic, on May 6, 2025 [Lim Sung-bin]

The Czech Republic signed a final contract with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) to build two nuclear reactors on June 4, just hours after the country’s Supreme Administrative Court cleared the way for the deal.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced the agreement during a live press conference on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

KHNP confirmed the signing shortly afterward.

Earlier the same day, the Supreme Administrative Court lifted a lower court injunction that had temporarily blocked the contract between KHNP and Elektrárna Dukovany II (EDU II), a subsidiary of Czech state-owned utility CEZ.

The two parties had been expected to finalize the deal on May 7, but the signing was delayed after a Czech lower court granted an injunction filed by France’s EDF on May 6.

The deal is estimated to be worth up to $18 billion.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]

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The Korea Daily Digital Team
The Korea Daily Digital Team
The Korea Daily Digital Team operates the largest Korean-language news platform in the United States, with a core staff of 10 digital journalists and a network of contributing authors based in both Korea and the U.S. The team delivers breaking news, in-depth reporting, and community-focused coverage for readers nationwide.