Russian company "Atomstroyexport" and Czech "Skoda" will be invited for negotiations over the future building of Bulgaria's Belene nuclear power plant. The two bidders and the Bulgarian side will sit down for talks next week, media said Tuesday citing the project's executive, Lyubomir Velkov. The builder of the plant should be selected in June.

Bulgaria's energy-producing hopes have been pinned on the Belene project, since the country was obliged by the EU to close prematurely units 1-4 of its sole nuclear plant at the moment, that in Kozloduy. Two reactors have already been shut down, and two should cease work by the end of 2006. Meanwhile, there have been talks that "Atomstroyexport" and "Skoda" might actually team up for the building of the Belene facility.