10 Apr (NucNet): Czech utility CEZ has cancelled the tender to build two new reactor units at the Temelín nuclear station in the Czech Republic, blaming the European Union’s failure to clearly define long-term parameters for energy policy.
In a statement today the state-owned company said the lack of direction from the EU has led to uncertainty on energy markets and is the key factor behind its decision to scrap the tender for the Temelín-3 and -4 reactors.
The company’s chairman and chief executive Daniel Benes said CEZ won’t have to pay any financial penalties to bidders for cancelling the tender and that the current geopolitical crises in Eastern Europe had “no impact” on the decision.
CEZ said cancellation of the tender does not mean the end of plans for new nuclear, but its plans will have to be adapted.
The companies that made it into the final round of bidding were Russia’s state-owned Rosatom and Pennsylvania-based Westinghouse Electric Company, a unit of Japan's Toshiba Corp.
France’s Areva was originally in the final round but in 2012 was excluded from the bidding due to commercial and legal flaws in its offer, according to CEZ.
The Czech Republic has six commercially operational reactor units: four VVER-440 units at the Dukovany plant and two VVER-1000 units at Temelín. Temelín-1 began commercial operation in June 2002 and Temelín-2 in April 2003.
