French group EDF, South Korea’s KHNP and US group Westinghouse Electric have all submitted initial bids for the contract. Russia’s Rosatom and China’s CNG were excluded from the bidding on security grounds.

The client, state-owned power company CEZ, said that final bids will be submitted in September 2023 and the contract awarded in 2024.

Completion of the 1,200MW reactor is scheduled for 2036 when it will replace the existing Soviet-era power plants at Dukovany.

The Reuters news agency reported that the Czech Republic is a strong backer of nuclear energy, unlike its neighbours Germany and Austria, and nuclear made up 35% of the country’s energy output in 2021.

The Czech government already operates six nuclear reactors and has plans to build three more, in addition to the one being tendered, at its Dukoveny and Temelin nuclear sites. It plans to phase out coal as a fuel for energy generation by 2033 in order to reduce carbon emissions.

In 2020 CEZ the government estimated that the project would cost around €6bn (£5.2bn) but that is expected to change due to high inflation and soaring energy prices.

Other east-European EU states also have plans to expand nuclear power production. In October 2022 Poland announced that Westinghouse would build its first nuclear power plant, while the Russia-friendly Hungarian government has awarded a nuclear power contract to Rosatom.