Czech CEZ says eyeing nuclear tender in Russia

Reuters. PRAGUE July 18 (Reuters) - Czech power group CEZ is interested in a tender in which Russia's RAO UES plans to sell up to 49 percent in its Kaliningrad unit and a planned 6 billion euro ($9.51 billion) nuclear project, CEZ said on Friday.

The deal would enable CEZ, the largest central European company with market capitalisation of $53.7 billion, to participate in operating the 2,000 MW Baltic 1 nuclear plant with RAO's Kaliningrad AES, scheduled to start running in 2016.

"We are eyeing the project and we're interested in it but we cannot give a qualified opinion about our participation in it until a tender is called and we know the specific conditions of the deal," CEZ spokeswoman Eva Novakova said.

CEZ is also considering filing a bid for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Turkey, CEZ Chief Executive Martin Roman said separately in a newspaper interview on Friday. Bids are scheduled to be filed in September. (Reporting by Jana Mlcochova; Editing by Quentin Bryar)