The Czech anti-monopoly office (UOHS) has issued a provisional measure temporarily halting the contract with South Korea’s Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Company (KHNP) following legal complaints from Westinghouse Electric (U.S.) and EDF (France). This procedural block could impact KHNP’s timeline as the preferred supplier for the Central European country’s Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant. CEZ, the Czech majority state-owned utility, stated it aims to complete negotiations by March 2025 but must await UOHS’s decision.

The Czech government initially selected KHNP as its preferred bidder in July, planning for KHNP to lead construction of two nuclear reactors, estimated at $17.4 billion. The project represents South Korea’s largest-ever energy export to Europe, a move in line with President Yoon Suk-yeol’s pro-nuclear agenda. Westinghouse, however, contends that KHNP cannot use its reactor technology without U.S. authorization.