Industry minister vows to strengthen government oversight of Czech nuclear project

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-kwan said Thursday that the government will strengthen its oversight role to ensure the Dukovany nuclear power plant project in the Czech Republic proceeds without disruption. Kim added that Seoul will maintain close communication with Prague to uphold trust in the project's normal progress.

Kim chaired the Team Korea Czech nuclear project progress review meeting at Government Complex Seoul, where officials reviewed response plans for key project milestones — including a construction permit application scheduled for April next year and a ground-breaking set for November 2029.

"To preserve Team Korea's trust and cooperation and further strengthen the competitiveness of Korea's nuclear power industry, the government will reinforce its management role so that state-owned nuclear enterprises take on greater responsibility and leadership," Kim said.

"Through this meeting, we will seek solutions to pending issues by sharing among companies the experience of entering a new market with a new reactor model, and by exploring how the government can fulfill its role in providing administrative and diplomatic support," Kim said.

Kim also signaled that the government would step up active communication with the Czech government, the project's client, to sustain mutual trust.

"We will make full use of all levels of consultation channels with the Czech government — including a ministerial-level Dukovany implementation review body, ad hoc meetings and weekly director-general-level sessions — to stay in close contact," Kim said. "Through these channels, we will maintain trust in the normal progress of the Dukovany nuclear project and use them as a conduit to convey to the Czech side whatever cooperation is needed for Team Korea's project execution."

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has been holding weekly alternating review meetings chaired by the minister and vice minister since contract negotiations between Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and Daewoo Engineering & Construction (Daewoo E&C) broke down on Oct. 29. Vice Minister Park Dong-il chaired a review session on Sunday.

All Team Korea state-owned enterprises participating in the Czech nuclear project attended Thursday's meeting — including Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Kepco Engineering & Construction, Korea Nuclear Fuel and Kepco Plant Service & Engineering — and reaffirmed their commitment to the Korean nuclear industry's hallmark of "on time, on budget."

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power plans to select a new contractor by July next year using the comprehensive evaluation award system under the State Contract Act, and will manage the transition period through additional personnel deployment and separate contracts to ensure preparations for the April construction permit application remain on track.

The comprehensive evaluation award system is a procurement regime used for large public construction projects in which the winning bidder is selected not simply on the lowest price, but through a comprehensive assessment of bid price, construction capability and social responsibility.

Evaluation criteria focus primarily on quantifiable indicators — including construction track record, credit ratings, assigned engineers' experience and workplace accident rates — with detailed assessment standards and scoring limits for each item disclosed transparently in the tender announcement.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power President Kim Hoe-cheon said the company would "manage operations thoroughly to ensure no necessary work is interrupted before a new contractor is selected," adding that it would "do its utmost to keep the project on a stable footing by proceeding as planned with the supply of main equipment and major materials under the contract signed in December last year."