China's Guangdong Nuclear Power Group has shown interest in building two new reactors at Romania's sole nuclear power plant, deputy economy minister Rodin Traicu said Tuesday.
"The Chinese company could invest up to 40% of the funds needed for the third and fourth reactors," Traicu told a press conference after returning from a visit to China.
He added that Guangdong could be involved in conventional areas of the work and provide electric equipment, turbines and generators.
The cost of two new reactors of the Cernavoda plant, in southeastern Romania, has been estimated at around $5.1 billion.
Romania has been looking for private investors to finance the extension of Cernavoda since four companies - CEZ (Czech Republic), GDF Suez (France), RWE (Germany) and Iberdrola (Spain) - pulled out of the project in 2010.
Those companies complained of a lack of predictability in the project.
Their withdrawal left the Romanian group Nuclearelectrica with an 84.65% stake in the plant. The Italian energy group Enel holds 9.15%and ArcelorMittal's Romanian subsidiary owns 6.2%.
Two reactors are currently operating at Cernavoda, providing about 18 percent of the country's electricity.
Traicu said he had also invited Chinese companies to build thermal and hydro-electric plants in Romania at an estimated cost of $3.0 billion.