* Project seen taking 15 years to complete
* Seeking option on new builds elsewhere in Europe
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By Michael Kahn and Jason Hovet
PRAGUE, Aug 3 (Reuters) - CEZ <> launched a tender
on Monday for the construction of two nuclear reactor units at
its Temelin power plant as part of the Czech power company's
plan to boost its nuclear power plant capacity.
The public tender also includes an option for CEZ to order
up to 3 more nuclear power units in other parts of Europe, a
move highlighting the company's push to produce lower-emission
electricity by using less higher-polluting coal.
"Completion of Temelin NPP will contribute to future
reduction in dependence on energy import from abroad and it will
help to maintain energy security of the state and to fulfil
obligations and goals concerning climate protection," CEZ said
in a statement.
Growing concern over emissions of climate warming carbon
from coal and gas fired power plants has sparked renewed
interest in nuclear power in Europe.
In central, eastern, and southeastern Europe, a number of
countries are eyeing plans to build new nuclear power reactors
or extend the lives of existing ones to meet growing demand and
replace ageing power capacity.
Generating a bigger share of electricity from nuclear power
plants -- at the expense of coal and gas -- is also key for
utilities because they will have to pay for all their carbon
emissions allowances from 2013 in western Europe and 2020 in
eastern Europe.
"Completion of the nuclear units in Temelin is the best
variant of a new source of electric energy as far as economic,
logistic and technical criteria are concerned," CEZ said in a
statement.
CEZ said it had asked for an environmental impact assessment
for the new units last year. On Monday the company predicted
they would be built in about 15 years, following an
administrative process lasting about seven to eight years.
CEZ already runs two units at Temelin with combined capacity
of 2,000 megawatts, along with four 440-500 megawatt units at
the Dukovany nuclear plant in the east of the country.
It produced 26.6 terrawatt hours of nuclear power in 2008,
while its coal plants produced 35.9 TWh of its total 64 TWh
output that year.
The main Czech political parties have thrown support behind
expanding nuclear power as a low-emission alternative, although
the inclusion of the Green Party in the government from 2006 to
March this year had been a block.
CEZ said the planned output and type of reactors would be
determined in the tender, but added that they should be
light-water cooled, pressurized water reactors.
Westinghouse Electric, now a subsidiary of Japan's Toshiba
Corp <6502.T>, supplied CEZ's last construction work at Temelin
at the start of the decade.
Other possible bidders could include Areva SA <CEPFi.PA>,
Russia's Atomstroiexport and Siemens <SIEGn.DE>, which are among
contractors to supply Bulgaria's construction of its Belene
nuclear plant.
(Reporting by Jan Lopatka, Jason Hovet, and Michael Kahn)
