Westinghouse Electric Company, along with construction partner Bechtel submitted its proposal to supply the Czech Republic with as many as four AP1000® reactors, the safest, most advanced nuclear technology available today.
The bid proposes the construction of one AP1000 unit at the Dukovany nuclear site, with the potential for a second unit there and two additional units at the Temelin site.
US Ambassador to the Czech Republic Bijan Sabet confirmed the US government’s full support of Westinghouse/Bechtel’s bid to build a new reactor at Dukovany.
“We see mutual benefits to both the United States and the Czech Republic,” the Ambassador said. “From a strategic energy security perspective, selecting a US technology would provide the Czech Republic with a reliable source of clean energy that not only will combat climate change and reduce emissions but will be an investment in the Czech people, creating thousands of green jobs across the nuclear supply chain. We hope the Czech Republic partners with Westinghouse/Bechtel for their proven and advanced AP1000 technology, which has been designed, licensed, built and is operating in other parts of the world.”
“Westinghouse first partnered with the Czech Republic on nuclear energy three decades ago and we are proud and excited to be able to further honour that commitment by providing safe, reliable nuclear energy from our proven AP1000 technology,” said David Durham, Energy Systems President of Westinghouse. “Together we can lay the foundation for a clean, secure energy future that extends for the next 80 years of operation and beyond.”
“For over 70 years, Bechtel has been at the forefront of innovation within the nuclear industry,” added John Howanitz, president of Bechtel’s Nuclear, Security and Environmental business unit. “We look forward to sharing our expertise in the Czech Republic to provide not only clean, reliable, nuclear energy, but to strengthen the local nuclear workforce and suppliers throughout the region for generations to come.”
In the meantime, CEZ Group’s Elektrárna Dukovany II, a wholly owned subsidiary of ČEZ, has received final bids for the construction of the new nuclear power plant in Dukovany from three bidders. EDU II will now evaluate the bids from economic, commercial and technical points of view. The evaluation model is set up on the basis of recommendations from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).