The expansion the Temelín nuclear plant has become a political issue, says Yves Brachet, president of Westinghouse. The competitors are currently falling over themselves to include as many Czech contractors as possible in their bids. These should be finalized within a month, writes Hospodářské noviny. Westinghouse, Areva and a Russian-Czech consortium MIR 1200 all claim they can guarantee that 70 percent of the CZK 200bn (€7.7bn) project will be completed by Czech suppliers. They’ve already began signing memoranda and pre-contracts to that effect. Westinghouse, for example, has signed a contract with Metrostav to complete all the construction work, a job currently estimated to cost CZK 100bn. I&C Energo has covered its bases by signing contracts with both Westinghouse and MIR 1200. Areva and MIR 1200 promised to create more than 10,000 new jobs.
