Bidding

Two government-run Chinese nuclear power firms are
preparing to invite foreign companies to bid for contracts worth billions of US dollars to
design and build four new nuclear power generators in Zhejiang and Guangdong
provinces.

The firms, China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) and the Guangdong
Nuclear Power Group, will open the bidding to major international players such as
Framatome, Alstom, Electricite de France and Westinghouse with construction of the four
1,000-megawatt generators expected to begin before 2005.

China has imported eight
of its 11 existing nuclear power generators from France, Canada and Russia. The Qinshan
plant in Zhejiang province is the only one that is installed with Chinese nuclear power
generators.