Next Monday, three nuclear power heavyweights will submit
proposals to design and build four plants in China, a national
nuclear technology company said yesterday.
US-based Westinghouse, France's AREVA and Russia's
AtomStroyExport (ASE) are busy finishing their plans for four
reactors in Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces.
The Preparatory Office of the State Nuclear Power Technology
Corporation told China Daily that a ceremony will be
organized on Monday to accept finished bids from the three
competitors.
"We will soon organize assessments," a preparatory office
official said.
He did not reveal when the final decision would be announced on
the contract for four 1,000-megawatt, pressurized-water nuclear
power facilities. Two of them will be located in Sanmen, in eastern
China's Zhejiang
Province, and the other two in Yangjiang, in the southern
province of Guangdong.
The preparatory office, which started work last September under
the direct authority of the State Nuclear Power Self-reliance
Leading Committee, is establishing the nuclear power corporation,
organizing tenders, carrying out technology transfers and
negotiating contracts for nuclear power projects.
The three competitors all boasted firm support from their own
governments and are confident their bids will stand out.
Westinghouse, which has won no power plant contracts during its
two-decade presence in China, stepped forward at the weekend with
news that a combination of loans of up to US$5 billion have been
approved by the US Export-Import Bank to help construct the
project.
Liu Xingang, chief representative of Westinghouse China, said
the promised loan will help meet the financial requirements
required by the Chinese side, which has asked competitors to
earmark capital for their proposals.
Liu said his confidence resulted from cutting-edge technology of
their equipment and the government's deregulation of technology
exports.
"The US Government has done a lot since last year to approve
exports of the AP-1000 reactor to China," he said.
Arnaud de Bourayne, president of AREVA China, said preparatory
work on bidding started five months ago, with great enthusiasm, to
meet the bid objectives.
"We are ready to deliver our scheme," he said, but did not
disclose information on financing efforts.
Russia's ASE did not comment but an earlier report cited company
confidence based on the close relationship between Russia and
China. It has already been involved in the construction of two
nuclear power plants in China, which are expected to start
operating this year.
China has drafted ambitious plans to expand nuclear power
production in an effort to meet increased demand.
(China Daily February 23, 2005)