A regional court in the Czech Republic on Tuesday blocked its government from signing an official contract with South Korea for a nuclear power plant project that was scheduled for Wednesday, local time.

The Brno Regional Court issued an injunction blocking the final signing of the contract between Czech state-run energy company Elektrarna Dukovany II (EDU II), the ordering party for the new nuclear power plant project in Dukovany, and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP), the winning bidder.

The injunction came as French electricity utility Électricité de France SA (EDF) filed a lawsuit against the Czech competition authority (UOHS)’s decision to dismiss its complaint.

This latest development has put Korea’s final contract for the Czech nuclear plant in jeopardy.

KHNP entered into extended discussions with EDU II on Tuesday to proceed with the signing as planned, but no conclusion was reached.

The Czech government also immediately took steps to contain the fallout.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala posted on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) account that “the tender evaluation process was carried out properly in accordance with the relevant laws.”

“I believe the court is aware of the full context and risks, and will issue a swift ruling,” he added.

The court’s decision came as a Korean delegation of government and parliamentary officials was en route to the Czech Republic, indicating that the Korean government had no prior warning of any potential disruption to the schedule.

The delegation had planned to attend the signing ceremony and hold meetings with the Czech Prime Minister, Senate President, and other key officials.

The Korean government and KHNP, in the meantime, are taking the position that the contract has not been “canceled but merely delayed.”

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