Czech court rejects EDF’s lawsuit over a massive nuclear tender decision

A regional court in Brno has dismissed a lawsuit filed by French energy giant EDF challenging a decision by the Czech Competition Authority (ÚOHS) regarding the tender for new reactors at the Dukovany nuclear plant. The Czech government contract is the largest in history and is worth over 400 billions of Czech crowns or nearly 20 billion USD. The court sided with the Competition Authority, which had rejected EDF’s objections, stating that since the selection process relied on a national security exemption, formal objections were not allowed under Czech law. The ruling does not affect the recently signed contract between the Czech state and South Korea’s KHNP for the construction of two reactors, with the first unit expected to be operational in 2036.