Korea's KHNP drops Daewoo and Doosan as builders of the $18 billion Czech Dukovany nuclear plant

Over about 15 months the two sides met 78 times at working level, sat through 11 dispute committee sessions and brought their chief executives together twice, KHNP said, according to Seoul Economic Daily. The project covers units 5 and 6 at Dukovany under a main contract KHNP signed in June 2025 with Elektrárna Dukovany II, a subsidiary of the Czech utility CEZ. Its value is about 400 billion koruna, which Korean outlets put at $18 billion to $19 billion.

The dispute is about quantity risk. KHNP holds a lump-sum contract with the Czech owner and wants the construction price fixed once the basic design is approved. Daewoo, which holds 55% of the consortium, wanted to be paid for added volumes that turn up in detailed design. Daewoo said the APR1000 has never been built anywhere and that a builder who does not do the design should not carry cost growth caused by design changes. KHNP executive Choi Il-kyung said the gap is more than 1 trillion won.

The main contract stays in force, as do KEPCO E&C's design contract and Doosan's reactor and turbine-generator supply deals. KHNP plans a bidder briefing in January, a call for bids in April and a signed contract by July 2027, with bidding open only to Korean companies. Daewoo and Doosan may bid; Doosan said it will.

Still unresolved: payment for work the consortium has already done and the handover of design documents, which could end up in court. Seoul Economic Daily reported that a new builder could push the schedule back by more than a year. KHNP says it still targets a 2029 construction permit, with commissioning to begin in late 2036. Daewoo E&C shares closed down 18.57% on Oct. 29, Korea JoongAng Daily reported.