Interview: “Czech nuclear power deal with Korea marks ‘historical tide’ of cooperation”

Ivan Jancarek, the Czech ambassador to South Korea, says the nuclear power deal is the biggest investment project in the Czech Republic’s modern history, dismissing alleged dumping claims

Ivan Jancarek, the Czech Ambassador to South Korea speaks about Czech-Korean diplomatic relationships, economic cooperation, and the recent nuclear power deal during an interview with the Chosun Daily on Sept. 26, 2024. / Park Sung-woo

“The Czech Republic received an offer that has value. This nuclear power investment project is huge for Czechia - we’re talking about billions of euros. Even compared to the UAE’s Barakah nuclear power plant project, the tender for new nuclear at Dukovany is not cheap.”

Ivan Jancarek, the Czech Ambassador to South Korea, dismissed recent allegations of dumping practices in the bidding process for building new nuclear power plant units, stating that the price offered was reasonable. Earlier in July, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) won the Czech government’s tender to build at least two new nuclear power units in the country, outbidding France’s EDF.

“More than 200 experts evaluated the proposals submitted by KHNP and EDF for a month, and they came to the conclusion that KHNP’s offer was the best in every aspect,” Ambassador Jancarek said during an interview with the Chosun Daily on Sept. 26. He stressed that the deal is the most expensive one in the Czech Republic’s modern history, suggesting that the dumping claims by some politicians in Korea are unfounded.

Regarding objections raised by U.S.-based Westinghouse and France’s EDF concerning the bid’s price and delivery terms, he noted, “The bid is transparent and safe in a way nobody could actually say anything wrong about it.” The final contract is set to be negotiated and completed by March next year.

For Korea, the Czech nuclear deal is the first overseas order for a large-scale nuclear power project since the country signed a deal with the UAE to build the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant. The country’s once-thriving nuclear industry, which suffered a downturn since the previous Moon administration’s five-year nuclear phase-out policy, is hoping for a comeback as exports rebound with more deals.

The Czech Republic and South Korea are similar in that both countries lack natural resources and rely on industry for growth. “Czechia is heavily dependent on industry, and a robust industry requires a secure and cheap supply of energy,” Ambassador Jancarek said. “There are only two ways to secure energy: fossil fuels and renewables. Europe now considers nuclear as renewable energy, and Czechia’s nuclear power stations, first built in the 1970s, have provided the country with safe, reliable, and cheap energy without any accidents.” The Czech Republic has six nuclear reactors generating roughly one-third of its electricity.

He mentioned that while the Czech government’s long-term energy mix strategy involved expanding nuclear power, Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine solidified the country’s dedication to sticking to the plan. “It became much clearer that we have to increase the share of nuclear energy, and that was one of the reasons we changed the tender from initially one new reactor to up to four.”

Next year marks the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and the Czech Republic. “I think we are on the verge of a historical tide of our relations,” said Ambassador Jancarek. “If we finally reach a final agreement to build two, maybe up to four reactors in the next five years, it will create a stronger bond between the two countries.”

He expressed hopes for further cooperation in transportation, defense, automobiles, and R&D. “Czechia has much to offer in our strategic partnership because we have a qualified labor force, a solid industry base, and an advantageous geographical location in central Europe.”

“Korea has a strong semiconductor industry, and Czechia is one of the European manufacturing hubs, along with Germany, so there are a lot of areas in which we can work together in terms of economic cooperation,” he added.

The Dukovany Nuclear Power Station near Dukovany in the Czech Republic. / Courtesy of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power

[Lee Jae-eun]

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