Company DigestCompaniesLast updated: 1 May 2025

Korea Secures $18 Billion Contract for Two APR-1000 Reactors at Czech Dukovany Nuclear Site

A Korean consortium led by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) will sign an $18 billion contract on May 7, 2025 to build two new nuclear reactors at the Dukovany site in the Czech Republic — South Korea's first nuclear reactor export in 16 years and its first entry into the European nuclear power sector. To facilitate the deal, the Czech state will acquire an 80% stake in Elektrarna Dukovany II, the project subsidiary of state-owned utility CEZ.

Signing set for May 7

SEOUL, May 1, 2025 — The Czech government announced that the contract for the two new units at the Dukovany nuclear power plant will be signed on May 7 with the Korean consortium led by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP). The announcement is carried in the corporate news section of the company website at https://www.khnp.co.kr/.

Under the arrangement, the Czech state will acquire an 80% stake in Elektrarna Dukovany II, a subsidiary of state-owned CEZ established to deliver the project. CEZ had initially planned a single reactor at Dukovany financed through government loans and guarantees; after the government raised the scope to two units, CEZ sought alternative financing, and the state's majority stake in the project company is intended to support the expanded build.

Two APR-1000 units, first reactor in operation in 2036

The contract covers two APR-1000 reactors — units 5 and 6 of the Dukovany plant — with an output of 1,055 MW each. The APR-1000 design received European certification in 2023, and the first of the new reactors is forecast to begin operation in 2036. The key parameters of the deal are:

contract value: $18 billion for two units;
reactor design: APR-1000, 1,055 MW output per unit;
European certification of the design: 2023;
signing date: May 7, 2025;
first reactor in operation: 2036.

For South Korea the award is a milestone on two counts: it is the country's first nuclear reactor export in 16 years and its first entry into the European nuclear power sector.

The tender: Westinghouse and EDF left behind

The consortium brings together Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), affiliates of Korea Electric Power Corp. (Kepco) and private partners Doosan Enerbility and Daewoo Engineering & Construction. It competed against the US group Westinghouse and France's EDF, and was selected as preferred bidder last year on the strength of its cost competitiveness and construction capabilities.

The Czech competition authority rejected EDF's appeal against the tender decision in the week before the announcement, clearing the last procedural hurdle to signature.

A settled intellectual-property dispute

In January, KHNP and Kepco settled an intellectual-property dispute with Westinghouse, which had claimed that Korean reactor designs used technology Westinghouse licensed in Washington. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed; industry experts suggested it may involve subcontracts or royalty payments.

Czech suppliers and the national energy plan

KHNP has been building a Czech supply base ahead of the award: the company has identified more than 200 Czech suppliers and has signed more than 76 memoranda of understanding with local companies since 2016. The wider framework around the contract includes:

more than 200 Czech suppliers identified for the project;
more than 76 memoranda of understanding signed with Czech companies since 2016;
a rise in the nuclear share of Czech electricity generation from 40.7% last year to 50% by 2050;
two further reactors planned at the Temelin site, where the Korean consortium is expected to receive the right of first offer.

The Dukovany contract is a central element of Czech energy strategy: nuclear accounted for 40.7% of the country's electricity generation last year, and the national target is 50% by 2050.

Ten reactors by 2030: Korea's export goal

The Czech award moves South Korea toward its goal of exporting 10 nuclear reactors by 2030. The country's first overseas nuclear project was the 2009 contract in the United Arab Emirates; the Dukovany contract is the first reactor export since then and the first Korean nuclear project in Europe.