Russia ready to build nuclear plants in Britain: official

Russia's state nuclear firm Rosatom said Friday it was ready to replace E.ON and RWE after the two German energy giants pulled out of their British nuclear power joint venture.

"Rosatom is ready to provide every assurance that the nuclear power plants it builds in Britain will meet all the safety and standard requirements of the IAEA" nuclear watchdog, a company spokesman told the state RIA Novosti news agency.

The official added that Rosatom was now building generation "3+" nuclear power plants in countries such as India and viewed Britain as an important market because of its nuclear power development drive.

E.ON and RWE on Thursday abandoned plans to develop nuclear reactors at Wylfa in north Wales and at Oldbury-on-Severn in southwest England under the so-called Horizon Nuclear Power project.

The two companies said in a statement they would now seek a new owner for the project. Both firms have strong ties to Russia and have in the past worked with firms such as the natural gas monopoly Gazprom.

E.ON and RWE blamed their decision on the global economic crisis and Germany's accelerated nuclear phase-out.