Turk nuke tender seen delayed by two more months

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Turk nuke tender seen delayed by two more months
  
ANKARA, April 19 (Reuters) - The award of the tender to build 
Turkey's first nuclear plant is likely to be delayed for two more 
months in a dispute over treasury finance guarantees, a senior energy 
ministry official said on Wednesday. 

Turkey earlier this month asked at the last minute three consortia 
bidding to build the $2.5-4 billion plant to extend their bids until 
April 21. It was the last of several postponements of the tender 
decision since bids were first invited in 1997. 

``It looks like we're going for an extension. This extension is 
likely to be a longer period, like two months,'' the official told 
Reuters. 

The treasury has said it cannot guarantee financing of the project 
until 2003 because a three-year disinflation programme agreed with 
the International Monetary Fund limits financing guarantees for large 
projects. 

It suggested construction of the plant should be delayed until 2001 
for an alternative financing model to be developed. 

But the energy ministry has insisted the project will go ahead soon, 
arguing that treasury guarantees are not needed until 2008, when the 
turnkey project will be completed. 

The head of state power producer TEAS on Wednesday defended the 
nuclear project in parliament, arguing that $50 million had already 
been invested in preliminary studies and consultancy work. 

Environmental critics, politicians and resident of Akkuyu, where the 
plant is to be built, oppose the project due to its proximity to an 
active earthquake faultline and for fear it would hurt tourism along 
that section of the Mediterranean coast. 

Bidders in the tender include three consortia, one led by U.S. 
Westinghouse Electric Co (a unit of British Nuclear Fuels Ltd), 
another by Canada's AECL and a third by Franco-German Nuclear Power 
International (NPI). 

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