South Korean Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun said Thursday that the country's recent winning of a nuclear power project in the Czech Republic will pave the way for its active advance into the broader European nuclear energy market.

On Wednesday, the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power was selected as a preferred bidder to build two reactors at the Dukovany power plant by beating France's EDF.

"We were able to secure a bridgehead to export nuclear reactors to Europe, which is home to the nuclear power industry," Ahn said in a press briefing regarding the tender.

"It was a great achievement for South Korea, coming 15 years after the contract to build the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates," he added.

The combined value of the reactors in the Eastern European country was estimated at 24 trillion won ($17.3 billion).

The bid, launched in 2022, was initially for one new reactor at the Dukovany power plant but later widened to build multiple units.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said his country has decided to build two units at Dukovany and will discuss an option for another two units at the Temelin power station, according to foreign media reports.

"South Korea has advanced technologies, know-how and experiences regarding nuclear projects, which have been accumulated for the past 50 years," Ahn said, adding that the KHNP-led consortium, relevant government agencies and the academic circle all joined hands and made all-out efforts to win the Czech tender.

The two sides are expected to sign a deal in around March 2025, and construction is planned to start in 2029, with the trial operation of the first new reactor in 2036, according to officials.

"A task force in charge of negotiations for the contract will be established, and the government will further strengthen support through a nuclear export strategy commission," Ahn said. (Yonhap)