The State Energy Concept of the Czech Republic expects one or two new units to be built in both Temelín and Dukovany. Babiš said that it is necessary to enforce the construction even if the Czech Republic were to break European law. “Energy security is a priority for us,” he added, while not giving details of what legal provisions could be violated.
In the past, two nuclear power plant projects have been suspected of violating European law, namely the prohibited state aid provision. However, both in the case of the British power plant Hinkley Point and the Hungarian power plant Paks, the European Commission decided that the states did not commit unlawful aid.
In both cases, Austria challenged the decision of the European Commission in the Court of Justice of the EU. Last year, the court confirmed the commission’s decision at Hinkley Point. In the case of Paks, the court decision has not yet been made.
Austrian politicians made it clear in September that they were also considering filing a lawsuit for illegal state aid against the Czech Republic in the case of a plan to build a new unit in Dukovany. Former Austrian Environment Minister Elisabeth Köstinger criticizes current Czech nuclear plans. She stressed that nuclear energy could never be a suitable alternative in finding ways to protect the world climate.
ENA company analyst and director of the Association of Independent Energy Suppliers Jiří Gavor said that the solution to the problem of state aid would depend on the final proposal submitted by the Czech government to Brussels and on the European Commission’s opinion on the Czech procedure. “It is certainly premature to say now that we are going to violate European law,” he said.
