Suppliers, Embassy and Chamber of Commerce came together for a two-day event.
Prague, Czech Republic, October 13, 2021 – A milestone event in Prague drew nearly 200 Czech business leaders together for a two- day Supplier Symposium held by Westinghouse Electric Company and Bechtel Power Corp. Company leaders were joined by Tomáš Ehler, Deputy Minister for the Nuclear Energy Section, Vladimír Dlouhý, President of Czech Chamber of Commerce, Jennifer Bachus, Chargé d’Affairs of the US Embassy in Prague and Petr Závodský, CEO of NPP Dukovany II. Together, they discussed the significant opportunity to build AP1000 plants and how that will positively impact the community, economy and development of a supply chain.
“Westinghouse has a demonstrated track record of support to the Czech Republic’s nuclear fleet, delivering the first control and monitoring systems for the Temelín power plant, and recently signing an excellent contract with ČEZ for the modernization of these systems,” said Mike Coon, Westinghouse Vice President for Energy Systems. “Our continued work in the Czech Republic alongside the talented and diverse suppliers we met here will yield tens of billions of Czech crowns in localized spend and provide thousands of jobs during construction and throughout the plant’s operating life.”
Westinghouse and Bechtel leaders shared information on the AP1000® design, sourcing strategy and the successes of the AP1000 plants currently in operation. The Westinghouse AP1000 plant, which offers the highest safety, operability and load following capability on the market, is considered the leading Generation III+ technology. It is being assessed for deployment in a number of European neighbors to Czechia, which can lead to additional opportunities for the Czech nuclear industry.
“The Czech Republic has taken steps to reduce its use of coal while maintaining its energy security through the use of nuclear power,” said Ahmet Tokpinar, Operations Manager of Bechtel’s nuclear power business. “Bechtel and Westinghouse have hands-on experience designing and building AP1000 plants, but we absolutely will need the Czech supply chain to help the country reach net zero by 2050. The sooner we can raise awareness of the opportunities and what will be needed, the better.”
Westinghouse and Bechtel are currently completing the construction phase of two AP1000 units at the Vogtle site in Georgia, USA, with the first unit expected to enter commercial operation in 2022.
