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South Korea's Kepco Engineering & Construction Company has signed an agreement with Czech engineering firm UJV Rez to strengthen their cooperation in nuclear power plant projects.

Czech utility ÄŒEZ plans to test six Westinghouse fuel rods in unit 1 of the Temelín nuclear power plant as it seeks to diversify its fuel supply. Russia’s TVEL is currently the sole supplier of nuclear fuel to Temelín and Dukovany.

Å koda JS of the Czech Republic will manufacture and supply two sets of EPR reactor pressure vessel internals for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant project.

The Czech government is expected to reach a decision on the best way to finance new nuclear projects by the middle of the year, after a Ministry of Industry and Trade committee agreed yesterday to finalise its recommendations to government.

Vítkovice Heavy Machinery and TSP Engineering have signed an agreement to cooperate in the decommissioning of British nuclear power plants and the supply of components for nuclear-powered submarines. Czech engineering company VHM said yesterday the contract is worth about CZK3.5 billion ($158 million) over the next five years.

More cooperation agreements and contracts have been signed by Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom and its subsidiaries during the IX AtomExpo International Forum it is hosting this week in Moscow. The latest agreements, with Asian and European companies, cover collaboration in a wide range of nuclear-related areas and beyond.

The Czech Republic has significantly enhanced its regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety in recent years, but work remains in implementing the country's new Atomic Act, a mission from the International Atomic ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Agency has concluded.

Czech utility ÄŒEZ has decided to split its nuclear operations from its existing Generation Division into a new Nuclear ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Division. The nuclear division will be led by the current director of the Temelín nuclear power plant.

ÄŒEZ expects to increase its nuclear power production by 18% this year to 28 terawatt hours as it seeks to recover lost revenue from prolonged outages. The majority state-owned utility suffered billions of crowns in lost sales last year as it carried out checks to welding joints and prepared for an operating licence renewal.

Small amounts of Iodine-131, well below levels likely to have any effect on human health, were detected in outdoor air last month in a number of European countries. The source of the release has yet to be identified.

Jan Mládek, the Czech Republic's trade and industry minister, announced yesterday the creation of three working groups of the Standing Committee for Nuclear ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß. The three will each be responsible for financial, legal and technical-investment strategies. In a statement on the ministry's website, Mládek said the move would give "new impetus" to the implementation of the State ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß PolicyÌýfor the development of nuclear energy agreed by the government in 2015.

The Czech Republic needs to decide on the mechanisms for financing the construction and operation of new nuclear power plants "as soon as possible", the executive director of the International ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß AgencyÌýsaid this week.