Toshiba to win huge nuclear reactor bid

Tokyo - Toshiba is set to receive a $1.65bn order to supply equipment for six to eight nuclear reactors in China, a report says.

Through its US subsidiary Westinghouse Electric, Toshiba is expected to deliver control systems, turbines and other main equipment for Chinese facilities slated to begin operation in the 2020s, the Nikkei business daily reported, without citing sources.

The facilities include the Haiyang nuclear plant in Shandong province and the Sanmen nuclear plant in Zhejiang province, Nikkei said.

Strong opposition

Westinghouse previously built two mid-sized nuclear reactors each at Haiyang and Sanmen and their track record seems to have worked in the company's favour amid heated competition from European, South Korean and Russian rivals, the report said.

Toshiba is also in talks with Kazakhstan over delivery of nuclear reactors, the report said.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has promoted exports of nuclear technology despite strong opposition at home. Such exports have become key to Japan's nuclear industry after a triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011.