Russia submits bid to build nuclear plant in Finland

Atomstroyeksport, Russia's state-controlled overseas construction company for the nuclear power industry, has submitted a bid in a tender to construct a nuclear power plant in Finland, Director Victor Kozlov told ITAR-TASS on 7 April. The Russian company has a very good chance of winning the tender because Russia previously built a nuclear power plant in Finland that has been successfully operating for 20 years, he said. Russia also proposes building a nuclear power plant of the same type it is building in China, which according to experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has a number of advantageous security features against other projects, he added. And Russia's proximity to the building site will significantly reduce the cost of transporting equipment, he said. Finland plans to make decision a by the end of the year, he said. Companies participating in the tender include Germany's Siemens, France's Framatome and US-based General Electric and Westinghouse. Kozlov said that Atomstroyeksport considers only Framatome to be a real competitor.