Even if the court had ruled in EDF's favour it would not have affected the multi-billion-dollar reactor deal signed earlier this month by Prague and South Korea's KHNP, which had beaten EDF in the tender last year.

However such a ruling would have allowed EDF to seek compensation.

"The complaint has been rejected," Klara Belkovova, a spokeswoman for the Regional Court in the city of Brno, told AFP.

She added EDF now had eight days to file an appeal with the Supreme Administrative Court to contest the verdict.

In the rejected complaint, EDF questioned the transparency of the tender.

The Brno court already delayed the signing of the record nuclear deal with a pre-emptive ruling in May, following EDF's complaint.

But a higher court dismissed that verdict on June 4 and the Czech government and KHNP signed the deal.

The contract is crucial for the Czech Republic, an EU member of 10.9 million people, which relies on nuclear power from the Dukovany and Temelin plants for 40 percent of its electricity consumption.

KHNP is due to build two nuclear reactors at Dukovany for some 200 billion Czech koruna ($9 billion) each with construction scheduled to begin in 2029 and the first reactor to be launched in trial operation in 2036.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said earlier that KHNP's bid was "better in all criteria assessed" than EDF's offer.

EDF has also filed a complaint over the tender with the European Commission, claiming KHNP may have used state aid that is illegal in the EU.

The European Commission has not decided on the case yet.