Prague: The Czech antitrust watchdog announced on Thursday its decision to reject complaints from the United States' Westinghouse and France's EDF regarding the Czech government's choice of Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) as the preferred bidder for constructing two nuclear units. According to Yonhap News Agency, the Czech Office for the Protection of Competition (UOHS) has temporarily halted the Czech Republic from formalizing the agreement in light of the appeals submitted by Westinghouse and EDF. The South Korean consortium, led by KHNP, was selected as the preferred bidder in July and is currently engaged in negotiations to finalize the contract by March, with the deal valued at approximately 24 trillion won (US$18 billion). Westinghouse has raised concerns that KHNP's nuclear reactors are derived from its technology, while EDF emphasized the need for a fair and transparent selection process. The UOHS clarified in a statement that the proceedings concerning the proposals from both companies were la rgely concluded, with some aspects of the proposals being dismissed. The UOHS also stated that EDF and Westinghouse have the option to appeal to the chairman, and that Czech electricity producer CEZ is prohibited from signing the contract with KHNP until a conclusive decision is reached in the matter.