Majority state-owned Czech power utility CEZ said it is seeking damages from engineering company Skoda JS relating to unplanned shutdowns at its Dukovany NPP since last year after revelations of faulty checks on welding joints. CEZ expects more outages at Dukovany this year and next to carry out additional welding joints checks.
CEZ has suffered significant revenue losses from the extended shutdowns at three of its four units. "We sent about a month ago a call for payment of damages through which we officially started talks on compensation," Reuters quoted CEZ spokeswoman Barbora Pulpanova as saying. Although she declined to comment on the amount CEZ is seeking from Skoda JS, which services the main part of the Dukovany plant, Czech Radio reported that CEZ was seeking CZK3.5bn ($142.9m) in damages. A spokesman for Skoda JS, part of Russian engineering group OMZ, said the company was studying CEZ's request, adding that it accepted that it was responsible for the outages.
