Signing of the "Korea-Czech Nuclear Power Industry Cooperation Agreement" and More
Minister Ahn Dukgeun of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy stated on the 7th (local time), "We will cooperate with the Czech government not only to successfully promote the Dukovany new nuclear power plant construction project, but also to jointly enter third-country markets."
On this day, Minister Ahn met with reporters at the Liechtenstein Palace in Prague, Czech Republic, and said, "In the presence of Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, I signed the 'Korea-Czech Nuclear Power Industry Cooperation Agreement' with Jozef Sikela, Czech Minister of Industry and Trade."
Minister Anduk Geun of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy explained to reporters on the 7th (local time) at the Liechtenstein Palace in Prague, Czech Republic, about the Korea-Czech nuclear power cooperation plan. (Photo by Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Joint Press Corps)
This agreement concretizes the nuclear power cooperation memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in September last year. Based on this, the Korean government agreed to cooperate not only on the successful promotion of the Dukovany new nuclear power plant construction project, but also on joint entry into third-country markets and the construction of two additional units.
Minister Ahn said, "We are building Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4 domestically, and if we add two more nuclear power plants, that will be four units in Korea. In the Czech Republic, we need to build two units, and there is additional demand for new nuclear power plant construction in the international market as well," adding, "Since it is difficult for the Korean nuclear power ecosystem to cover all of this alone, we must make good use of assets such as the turbines of Czech company Doosan Skoda Power and advance into the global market together."
In addition, the two countries agreed to concretize strategic cooperation not only in the nuclear power sector but also in advanced industries. Specifically, they will promote the establishment of a Rolling Stock Cooperation Center (between the Korea Automotive Technology Institute and the Technical University of Ostrava in the Czech Republic) and a Robot Cooperation Center (between the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement and the Czech Technical University in Prague).
Regarding the postponement of the final signing for Dukovany Units 5 and 6, Minister Ahn said, "I am very disappointed," but emphasized, "We will communicate closely with the Czech side to ensure the main contract can be concluded as soon as possible." He added, "The final contract has definitely not fallen through; it is only being delayed temporarily due to procedural reasons. There will also be the Temelin Unit 2 project in five years, so I intend to use this delay not as a waste of time, but as an opportunity to build trust in the Korean nuclear power industry."
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