FRENCH nuclear power company Areva SA has signed a contract to supply China with two generating stations worth up to six billion euros (US$8.25 billion), a newspaper reported yesterday.

Areva's deal with China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corp is the French company's biggest deal ever, Le Figaro newspaper reported.

The two third-generation reactors will boost CGNPC's output by 3,200 megawatts, the newspaper said. The deal must be ratified by French and Chinese authorities, and a French minister should be sent to China in the coming weeks.

On Tuesday, Westinghouse Electric Co - Areva's main rival for the supply of nuclear reactors to China - signed deals to build four nuclear power plants in China.

US, European and Russian suppliers of nuclear power technology have been vying to land contracts in China, where as many as 32 nuclear plants may be built by 2020.