On the occasion of its Czech-French Partners’ Day for the Dukovany 5 NPP project on 29 June, EDF announced the opening of its EDF Nuclear Czechia branch in Prague, dedicated to supporting the development of EDF nuclear activities for the Czech market. “This decision confirms EDF’s long-term commitment to support the Czech nuclear ambitions with its reactor technologies and a comprehensive value proposition,” EDF noted.
The announcement was made during a press conference attended by French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness Franck Riester, who expressed the French government’s full support to the offer led by EDF for the construction of an EPR1200 reactor at the Dukovany site.
EDF has appointed Roman Zdebor as Branch Managing Director of EDF Nuclear Czechia odštepný závod. With almost 30 years of experience in the nuclear industry, mainly associated with Škoda JS in the Czech Republic, Zdebor held a number of leading positions including both technical to commercial activities. In recent years, he worked as Construction Readiness Director at the now cancelled Hanhikivi NPP project in Finland.
EDF Nuclear Czechia will support all EDF’s nuclear activities in the Czech Republic, with a prime focus on contributing to the consolidation of EDF’s EPR1200 bid for the Dukovany 5 tendering process launched by C?EZ and on accelerating the cooperation momentum between the tendering teams in France and Czech industrial partners.
The Czech-French Partners’ Day hosted at the Czech Chamber of Commerce in Prague, was a “closed-door event” bringing together the tier one Czech and French industrial companies selected to be part of EDF’s industrial scheme for the construction of one EPR1200 nuclear unit at the Dukovany site. EDF and its partners, namely BAEST Machines & Structures, Bouygues Travaux Publics, EDF, Framatome, GE Steam Power, Hutní Montáže, I&C Energo, Metrostav DIZ, Reko Praha, Sigma Group, and Škoda JS, “shared the status of their joint work to establish an integrated delivery team and reiterated their mutual commitment and shared values with the signing of the Dukovany 5 Delivery Team’s Values Pledge for EDF’s EPR1200 proposal”.
In addition, EDF, Bouygues Travaux Publics and Metrostav DIZ signed a Tripartite Teaming Agreement focused on civil works activities to secure a high share of local content for the construction of the Dukovany 5 project. The event was inaugurated by French Minister Delegate Franck Riester, in presence of Czech Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tomáš Ehler.
Vakisasai Ramany, EDF Senior Vice-President in charge of New Nuclear Development, said: “Our presence in the Czech Republic is reinforced to support our ambition to offer CEZ and the Czech people the most reliable and sustainable long-term partnership for a sovereign and robust Czech new nuclear programme. EDF takes measure of the responsibility and the great opportunities that a common Czech-French partnership would provide to both our countries and Europe. We reaffirm our objective to consolidate the engagement between our industries for the success of Dukovany 5 and future EPR projects in Europe.”
Photo courtesy of CEZ
