Senior Czech official confident about finalising nuclear power plant deal with South Korea

Seoul: The Czech Republic firmly believes it will finally conclude a nuclear power plant deal with South Korea, the country's National Security Advisor was quoted as saying during a meeting with President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday.

The remark by Czech National Security Adviser Tomas Pojar came after Westinghouse Electric, a US nuclear energy firm, filed an appeal with Prague last month against the decision to select Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) as the preferred bidder for the project to build two nuclear power units, Yonhap news agency reported.

"For the Czech Republic, we firmly believe that we will conclude a final contract with South Korea for the nuclear power plant construction in Dukovany," Yoon's office quoted Pojar as saying, referring to the nuclear plant site in southeastern Czech Republic.

Pojar, who was in Seoul on a visit to prepare for Yoon's upcoming trip to the European country, also said the Czech government is interested in enhancing comprehensive cooperation across various sectors, including nuclear energy, industry, investment, defence and transportation.

Yoon said he will make sure to provide full support to ensure the nuclear project's success and asked for Pojar's cooperation in expanding "mutually beneficial cooperation," the presidential office said.

Yoon also said he aims to further advance the strategic partnership between the two countries during his upcoming trip, expected for later this month.

The nuclear project, estimated at around 24 trillion won ($17.3 billion), is expected to be finalised by the first quarter of next year. It will mark South Korea's second nuclear power plant export, following its 2009 project in the United Arab Emirates.

Westinghouse was one of the bidders for the project. Filing the appeal with the Czech anti-monopoly office, the company claimed that KHNP's reactors are based on its technology.

South Korean officials said the US firm repeated its existing claims in ongoing legal disputes.