The Czech discourse on the completion of the Temelin Nuclear Power Plant

In: International issues & Slovak foreign policy affairs, Heft 1-2, S. 21-43

Abstract

In early August 2009, the Czech company CEZ announced a public tender to enlarge its existing nuclear power plant Temelin with the addition of two reactors, with the option to build additional nuclear units in the Czech Republic and abroad. The tender attracted the attention of three companies, from the US, Russia and France, which submitted their proposals to the state-owned energy company CEZ at the beginning of July 2012. The main goal of this article is to analyze and interpret the Czech discourse on the construction of the third and fourth block at the Temelin nuclear power plant, in the context of Czech energy policy and security. At the theoretical level, the article builds upon social constructivism, which in relation to discourse analysis, as the basic methodology used in the text, reflects a number of theoretical assumptions. Methodologically, the article is based on thematic discourse analysis. Adapted from the source document.