UWB will cooperate more with South Korea. Rector and Dean of FEL were at the nuclear meet in Doosan

Production of nuclear technologies and training of new specialists – this was the spirit of the visit of South Korean President Jun Sok-jol and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala to Pilsen on Friday. They visited Doosan Škoda Power and Škoda JS. Among the invited guests was also the Rector of UWB.

Just a few weeks after the announcement of the winner of the state tender for the completion of nuclear power plants in Dukovany, the President of the Republic of South Korea Jun Sok-jol and representatives of South Korean companies visited the Czech Republic. One of their main stops was Plzeň, because Doosan Škoda Power and Škoda JS would be involved in the production of turbines and components for nuclear reactors.

"The experience and track record of these companies are among the clear advantages of the Czech nuclear ecosystem. We are paying close attention to the involvement of Czech companies in the tender for the completion of Dukovany. In its bid, the Korean side declared that it would involve Czech companies in the preparation and construction of new nuclear units up to 60%, which would mean contracts worth more than CZK 240 billion for them. I believe that we will be able to achieve this common goal," the Prime Minister said.

Among those invited to the meeting and the tour of the facilities were the rectors and vice-rectors of three technical universities that are already educating or will educate experts in the nuclear field. In addition to the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (Rector Miroslav Lávička, Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering Zdeněk Peroutka), there were also the Czech Technical University in Prague (Vice-Rector Radek Holý) and the Brno University of Technology (Rector Ladislav Janíček). "We would like to launch a study programme in Nuclear Management at UWB next year, which will be guaranteed by the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. However, we have been educating nuclear experts for 60 years at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering within the specialisation Construction of Power Equipment," said Miroslav Lávička, Rector of UWB. The universities thus assured the delegation that they are ready for the upcoming technological challenge and one of the largest state investments for the next decade.

The foreign ministers of both countries signed an Action Plan for the implementation of the Strategic Partnership for 2025-2027, and a number of memoranda of cooperation were also signed. The Czech Prime Minister stressed that relations between the Czech Republic and the Republic of Korea have become more intense than ever in recent years, opening the door to new projects. The involvement of Czech companies in the construction of new blocks and the development of economic cooperation, especially in high value-added sectors, represents a huge opportunity for citizens and companies in both countries.

The signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation with representatives of the South Korean institution KETEP (Korean Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning) was part of the ceremony, which was signed by the Rector of UWB and the Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering on behalf of UWB in front of the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic and the President of the Republic of Korea. The content of the Memorandum is a promise of future cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, electricity grids and energy production with regard to the planned decarbonisation of the energy mix of the Czech Republic. In the memorandum, the two sides agreed to "identify technology topics of common interest through information sharing, reviews and workshops, and to promote graduate student exchange programs between UWB and Korean universities."