BEIJING, Nov. 20 -- Global nuclear giant Westinghouse said it is offering an all-round technology transfer in its bid for China's third-generation nuclear power generation units.

"We will fully co-operate with our customers to transfer all technology as requested," said Stephen R. Tritch, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Westinghouse Electric Company.

The company is using its pressurized water reactor AP1000, which has been approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, to tap into the Chinese market.

Although the company's bid for China's third-generation nuclear power reactors was delayed partly because it was bought by Toshiba, said Tritch, he expressed confidence in his company's advanced technology and competitive price.

Toshiba, Japan's largest maker of nuclear power plant equipment, bought Westinghouse for 5.4 billion U.S dollars to bolster its position in the nuclear power industry.

"But Westinghouse will continue to be a U.S.-operated company with the technology in the control of the U.S. Government," said the CEO, a member of the trade delegation to China led by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez.

If Westinghouse wins the contract, the project will be a first in the Chinese nuclear power sector for the company, which designs half of the world's nuclear reactors.

It is currently competing with French nuclear group Areva for the contracts for four third-generation nuclear reactors two in Sanmen, East China's Zhejiang Province, and another two in Yangjiang, South China's Guangdong Province.

The two companies submitted their bids last February and are still awaiting the result of the 8 billion dollars deal, which was supposed to be announced last October.

Areva also said last month it would fully transfer its technology in its bid for China's third-generation nuclear power generation units.

Areva Chairwoman Anne Lauvergeon, who accompanied French President Jacques Chirac on his recent visit to China, said Areva would offer China its European Pressurized Water Reactor (EPR) technology, provided it builds at least one EPR unit.

Winning the bid for the four nuclear reactors is considered vital for the two companies, as the Chinese Government said it will adopt a unified, standardized design for the third-generation nuclear reactors across its nuclear industry. The winner will easily gain access to the huge nuclear power investment planned across the nation.

China, the world's second-largest energy consumer after the United States, will spend some 400 billion yuan (50.63 billion dollars ) on building new nuclear power plants by 2020.

The energy-hungry country intends to increase the amount of installed nuclear power capacity from the current 16 gigawatts to 40 gigawatts or 4 per cent of total installed capacity within 15 years.

Nuclear power generation is expected to triple to 60 gigawatts by that time, or 6 per cent of the country's total electricity output.