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Czech watchdog begins examining appeals versus nuclear power tender

The Czech antimonopoly office UOHS stated on Tuesday it had started official procedures on appeals from Westinghouse and EDF against the option of South Korea's Korea Hydro & & Nuclear Power Business (KHNP) as chosen bidder to build two nuclear reactors in the Czech Republic.

Legal disagreements are a potential sticking point in the tender for building two 1,000 megawatt systems in the largest-ever Czech procurement offer, expected to be worth about $18 billion at current rates.

The Czechs prepare to use the new systems, together with little modular reactors and sustainable sources, to replace a fleet of coal-fired plants in addition to some older nuclear reactors that are nearing the end of their lifespan.

UOHS said in a declaration it could not approximate for how long the appeals process would run due to the intricacy of the problem.

UOHS stated the EDF complaint demanded that UOHS cancels choices by a system of the bulk state-owned CEZ on assessing quotes.

The Westinghouse grievance concentrated on usage of a nationwide security exception that suspended public procurement rules, it said. It likewise appealed a choice not to be welcomed into the second round of the tender.

CEZ had earlier said that it believed that the security exception made it difficult to challenge the process at the anti-monopoly workplace. It had no immediate talk about Tuesday.

Westinghouse was not welcomed for the last round of bidding, in which KHNP beat EDF, after it stopped working to put in a binding quote.

The government and CEZ intend to conclude settlements with KHNP and indication contracts by next March, and complete the very first reactor by 2036.

Westinghouse said in a statement recently it had appealed likewise on the premises that KHNP did not have a licensing agreement to export its reactors, which are based upon Westinghouse innovation.

(source: Reuters)