A Czech delegation will go to Brussels at the end of November to talk about a new nuclear power unit in Czechia, Tomas Martanovic, from the Industry and Trade Ministry's nuclear energy department, said at international nuclear conference NERS 2019 in Prague.
The talks will cover the European Commission's (EC) approval for the planned unit, for example, Martanovic said. The EC will mainly examine the possibility of unlawful state aid.
Teams of government envoy for nuclear energy Jaroslav Mil and deputy industry and trade minister Rene Nedela will lead the negotiations, Martanovic said.
In the middle of October, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said that Czechia must construct new nuclear units, even if it meant breaking European law. Both Dukovany and Temelin nuclear power plants need new units, he said.
In reaction, Upper Austria, bordering Czechia, asked the EC to look into Czechia's plans for nuclear plants' extension. Czech Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlicek said that Czechia was ready to clarify its steps but that it required respect for its decisions.
Two weeks ago, Havlicek said that Czechia would have nowhere to get electricity from in the future without new power stations, chiefly nuclear sources, and that issues might occur after 2030.
Some experts agree with further development of nuclear energy, while others point out different options. Environmentalists have been against the new nuclear unit construction. Nuclear sources produced about a third of electricity made in Czechia last year.
