KHNP, consortium fail to agree on Czech nuclear plant contract

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) ended negotiations with a Daewoo E&C and Doosan Enerbility consortium over a construction contract for two reactors at the Dukovany site in the Czech Republic on Thursday. KHNP said it would begin terminating its cooperation agreement with the consortium and prepare a competitive process to select a replacement contractor. The sides disagreed over contract structure, work scope, construction quantities and costs despite months of talks. KHNP aims to select a new contractor by July 2027 and says it will work with the Czech project owner to keep the project on schedule.

KHNP signed the main contract with Czech state-run project company Elektrarna Dukovany II in June 2025, after submitting its final bid in April 2024.

KHNP proposed a lump-sum construction contract based on baseline quantities from the basic design stage, while the consortium sought payments adjusted to quantities determined during detailed design.

A dispute resolution committee met 11 times in July, followed by senior-level talks in September and October, but the parties did not reach agreement.

KHNP scheduled a briefing for prospective bidders for January and plans to open bidding in April, though it has not finalized the detailed process or timeline.

Site preparation is due to begin in January 2028, full construction in November 2029, and the two reactors are slated for completion in 2039 and 2040.

Published Oct 29, 2026 4:05 pm KST

Dispute over pricing, construction terms prompts search for new builder

An aerial view of the planned site for new nuclear reactors in Dukovany, Czech Republic / Courtesy of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced Thursday that it had ended negotiations with a consortium of Daewoo E&C and Doosan Enerbility over a construction contract for a 26 trillion won ($19.4 billion) nuclear power project in the Czech Republic, after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on key terms.

KHNP said it would begin terminating its cooperation agreement with the consortium and prepare a competitive bidding process to select a new contractor, seeking to minimize disruption to construction of the two Korean-designed APR1000 reactors at the country’s Dukovany site.

“KHNP and the construction consortium had worked to reach an amicable agreement through working-level negotiations, a dispute mediation committee and management-level talks, but failed to reach a final agreement,” the state-run nuclear operator said.

The breakdown follows about 15 months of negotiations after KHNP signed the main contract with Elektrarna Dukovany II, the Czech state-run company in charge of the project, in June 2025.

KHNP said the two sides had already been at odds over key contract terms when KHNP submitted its final bid in April 2024, and failed to resolve their differences even after months of further talks.

It explained that the dispute involved not only construction costs but also the contract structure, scope of work, baseline quantities and how the main contract’s terms would be reflected in the construction contract.

KHNP proposed a lump sum contract based on baseline quantities established at the basic design stage, arguing that it would align the construction contract with the main project agreement and provide greater cost certainty.

However, the consortium sought to adjust payments based on quantities determined at the detailed design stage, including increases in construction volumes.

The company said it had revised its proposal to account for additional work and requested detailed cost breakdowns to assess the proposed construction price. Despite a dispute resolution committee that met 11 times in July and further talks between senior executives in September and October, the two sides failed to bridge their differences.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power's headquarters in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province / Korea Times file

KHNP plans to select a replacement contractor by July 2027, with a briefing for prospective bidders scheduled for January and bidding set to open in April, although the detailed process and timeline have not been finalized.

The company said it would work closely with the Czech project owner to keep the project on schedule, with site preparation due to begin in January 2028 and full construction scheduled to start in November 2029. The two reactors are slated for completion in 2039 and 2040, respectively.

While selecting a new contractor, KHNP would handle key tasks, including design, permitting and project management, or outsource them to other companies.

The consortium expressed regret over KHNP’s decision and called for negotiations to resume, saying it had submitted a revised contract proposal at “a reduced price, despite the losses it would incur.”

Daewoo E&C said KHNP introduced revised contract terms on Oct. 7, but failed to allow sufficient time for review before ending negotiations, adding the consortium had formally requested an extension of the deadline to Dec. 31.

“Requiring the construction consortium to finalize its position and conclude negotiations within just three weeks was simply unrealistic,” Daewoo E&C said, citing the need for thorough assessments of costs, construction schedules and work scope for the first commercial reactor using the APR1000 design.

The consortium also criticized KHNP’s proposed lump sum contract, arguing that it would leave the builders bearing a substantial share of additional costs arising from design changes, despite their limited involvement in the design process.

“We ask KHNP to resume negotiations with the construction consortium in good faith, in the broader interest of the project and the national interest,” the company said.

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韩国水力核电公司（KHNP）周四终止了与大宇建设（Daewoo E&C）和斗山能源（Doosan Enerbility）组成的联合体就捷克杜科瓦尼核电站两座反应堆建设合同的谈判。KHNP表示，将开始终止与该联合体的合作协议，并准备启动竞争性招标程序，遴选新的承包商。尽管双方进行了数月的谈判，但在合同结构、工作范围、工程量和成本等方面仍存在分歧。KHNP计划在2027年7月前选定新的承包商，并表示将与捷克项目业主合作，确保项目按计划进行。

KHNP 于 2024 年 4 月提交最终投标后，于 2025 年 6 月与捷克国营项目公司 Elektrarna Dukovany II 签署了主合同。

KHNP 提出了一项基于基本设计阶段基准数量的总价施工合同，而该联合体则寻求根据详细设计阶段确定的数量进行调整的付款。

争端解决委员会在7月份召开了11次会议，随后在9月和10月举行了高级别会谈，但双方仍未达成协议。

KHNP 已安排在 1 月份为潜在投标人举行情况介绍会，并计划在 4 月份开始招标，但尚未最终确定详细流程或时间表。

场地准备工作将于 2028 年 1 月开始，全面建设将于 2029 年 11 月开始，两座反应堆计划分别于 2039 年和 2040 年完工。

发布于2026年10月29日下午4:05（韩国标准时间）

价格和施工条款纠纷促使业主寻找新的建筑商

捷克共和国杜科瓦尼新建核反应堆规划厂址的鸟瞰图 / 图片由韩国水力核电公司提供

韩国水力核电公司（KHNP）周四宣布，由于双方未能就关键条款达成一致，该公司已终止与大宇建设和斗山能源组成的财团就捷克共和国价值 26 万亿韩元（194 亿美元）的核电项目建设合同进行的谈判。

韩国水力发电公司表示，将开始终止与该财团的合作协议，并准备通过竞争性招标程序选出新的承包商，以尽量减少对该国杜科瓦尼核电站两座韩国设计的 APR1000 反应堆建设的干扰。

“KHNP和建设财团曾努力通过工作层面的谈判、争端调解委员会和管理层会谈达成友好协议，但未能达成最终协议，”这家国有核电运营商表示。

在 KHNP 与负责该项目的捷克国营公司 Elektrarna Dukovany II 于 2025 年 6 月签署主合同后，双方进行了约 15 个月的谈判，但最终破裂。

KHNP表示，双方在2024年4月KHNP提交最终投标书时，就已经在关键合同条款上存在分歧，即使经过数月的进一步谈判，也未能解决分歧。

声明解释说，争议不仅涉及建筑成本，还涉及合同结构、工作范围、基准数量以及主合同条款如何在施工合同中体现。

KHNP 提出了一项基于基本设计阶段确定的基准数量的总价合同，认为这将使施工合同与主要项目协议保持一致，并提供更大的成本确定性。

然而，该财团试图根据详细设计阶段确定的数量来调整付款，包括增加施工量。

该公司表示已修改方案以涵盖新增工作量，并要求提供详细的成本明细以评估拟议的施工价格。尽管双方成立了争议解决委员会，并在7月份召开了11次会议，且双方高管在9月和10月也进行了进一步会谈，但双方仍未能弥合分歧。

韩国水力核电公司总部，位于庆尚北道庆州市 / 《韩国时报》资料图

KHNP计划在2027年7月之前选出新的承包商，计划于1月举行面向潜在投标人的简报会，并于4月开始投标，但详细的流程和时间表尚未最终确定。

该公司表示，将与捷克项目业主密切合作，确保项目按计划进行，场地准备工作将于2028年1月开始，全面建设将于2029年11月启动。两座反应堆预计将分别于2039年和2040年完工。

在选择新的承包商时，KHNP 将负责关键任务，包括设计、许可和项目管理，或者将这些任务外包给其他公司。

该财团对 KHNP 的决定表示遗憾，并呼吁恢复谈判，称其已提交了一份“尽管会遭受损失”但价格有所降低的修订合同提案。

大宇建设表示，KHNP于10月7日提出了修改后的合同条款，但在结束谈判前没有给予足够的审查时间，并补充说，该财团已正式要求将最后期限延长至12月31日。

大宇建设表示：“要求建设联合体在短短三周内确定立场并完成谈判是不现实的。”该公司指出，需要对采用 APR1000 设计的首个商业反应堆的成本、施工进度和工作范围进行彻底评估。

该财团还批评了 KHNP 提出的总价合同，认为尽管建筑商在设计过程中的参与程度有限，但这种合同仍会让建筑商承担因设计变更而产生的大量额外成本。

“我们要求KHNP本着诚意，为了项目的整体利益和国家利益，恢复与建筑财团的谈判，”该公司表示。

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