31 October 2009 - Russian nuclear engineering firm Atomstroyexport, France's Areva and Toshiba-owned Westinghouse have submitted qualification documents to CEZ in a tender to build up to five nuclear reactors for the Czech power firm.

Atomstroyexport said it had submitted the documents in a consortium also comprising Czech Skoda JS and Russian Gidropress. Westinghouse has also formally submitted its qualification bid to the Czech Republic utility to complete CEZ's nuclear power plant in Temelin, which is located near the Austrian border.

Areva has also confirmed its bid, while Mitsubishi of Japan and French-German-Japanese project Atmea are also in the frame.

Two more bidding processes will follow before CEZ selects the company that will build the two reactors. That decision is expected by early 2011. The units are to be operational in 2019.

CEZ is seeking a lead contractor for the project, which will include two new reactors at the Temelin nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic, and up to three more reactors elsewhere in Europe.

Analysts have estimated the pricetag for the entire project of completing the reactors at 500bn Czech crowns ($28.14bn).

Westinghouse took part in the construction of Temelin's first two units. It will be supplying nuclear fuel to Temelin until next year and then will be replaced by Russian firm TVEL, which won a tender for the supplies in 2006.