The Slovak government said Wednesday it had chosen Czech energy giant CEZ as a strategic partner to build a new unit at the Jaslovske Bohunice nuclear plant.
"We were considering ten potential investors and CEZ was chosen as the most suitable firm," Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek said after a cabinet meeting.
He added the construction of the unit, about 50 kilometres (31 miles) northeast of Bratislava and expected to start in 2014, would cost 4-6 billion euros (5.7-8.5 billion dollars).
Slovakia closed one nuclear unit at Jaslovske Bohunice at the end of 2006. It is due to switch off the second unit of the Soviet-designed reactor at the end of December, under commitments to Brussels which paved the way for its 2004 EU entry.
The European Union said the reactors were unsafe.
As a result Slovakia, a former power exporter, will have to import around 20 percent of its electricity needs from 2009.
The dominant Slovak power producer Slovenske Elektrarne (SE), controlled by Italian power giant Enel, launched the construction of two new units at the country's other nuclear power plant in Mochovce, 120 kilometres east of Bratislava, in November.
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