Foreign companies have formed into three united bodies in order to garner contracts in construction of two new nuke power plants along the country's southern and eastern coast.

China National Nuclear Corporation disclosed on Monday the three united bodies were Westinghouse Consortium of the United States, tomStroyExport of Russia and Framatome of France as the country's open bidding came to a close for importing third-generation nuclear power technologies and related equipment in building both Sanmen Nuclear Power Plant in east China's Zhejiang Province and Yangjiang Nuclear Power Plant in south China's Guangdong Province.

The bidding was offered last September by three Chinese companies including China National Nuclear Corporation and China National Technical Import and Export Corporation. But for the time being, it is still unknown which united body gets what contracts.

With the approval of China's State Council, the country's highest governing body, the two projected nuke power plants will be installed with two pressurized water reactors of 1 million kilowatts each in first phase construction, but will eventually be expanded to six generating units each.

The four pressurized water reactors of the two nuke plants are planned to be completed and begin power generation by 2011.

Completion of the two new nuclear power plants will enormously alleviate power shortage in the country's southern and eastern regions where industries and processing trade are highly developed.