Czech power group ČEZ may postpone signing of a contract with the winner of the tender for the completion of the nuclear power plant for up to a year and a half, the director of strategy and ČEZ board member Pavel Cyrani said.
Majority state-owned CEZ was due to sign the contract at the turn of this and the next year to double the size of the 2,000 MW nuclear station Temelin, the country's biggest ever energy deal with an estimated cost of over $10 billion.
"We want to decide about such crucial investment only when it is clear that it will be in line with the newly adopted Energy Policy and will ensure return on the investment," said Cyrani for local magazine Euro. He estimated that price guarantees should be decided within one year or year and a half. "We can not sign the final contract before state confirms a compensation scheme," said Cyrani.
The government wants the project to ensure that the Czech Republic can cover its energy needs for decades to come. According to Cyrani generation from the new Temelin units would be "competitive" if the price per megawatt hour was above 70 euro, far above the present level of around 40 euros.
Source: Reuters, Euro, ČEZ