ANKARA (Hurriyet)-Following offers from Russia and South Korea, Japan has displayed interest in Turkey's nuclear energy plans and submitted an informal offer through a private company to the Turkish Energy Ministry, according to Anatolia news agency.

Toshiba executives submitted the offer to Energy Minister Taner Yıldız in Ankara on Thursday. Speaking to reporters after meeting with the executives, Yıldız said he was given a letter from Japan's Industry, Trade and Economy Ministry that discussed plans for energy cooperation on Turkish soil.

"Through Toshiba, Japan has made an offer for the establishment of a nuclear power plant," the agency quoted Yıldız as saying. "We see this as an important offer for alternative nuclear power plants in Turkey. But we cannot give a definite response until discussions with South Korea come to a conclusion."

In a related development, Bloomberg reported on Thursday that Korea Electric Power Corp., which won an $18.6 billion atomic reactor order from the United Arab Emirates in December, is in the final stage of talks with Turkey for the construction of a nuclear power plant.

A consortium led by the company, known as Kepco, will invest in the project, Chief Executive Officer Kim Sang Su told lawmakers in Seoul on Thursday.

The Turkish government may take a 60 percent share in the company planning to build the country's second nuclear power station, Istanbul-based Sabah newspaper reported Monday.

Kepco is proposing to take the remaining share, and will raise 70 percent of the estimated $20 billion needed for the construction plant through loans, the newspaper reported.

Kepco is also seeking to build nuclear power plants in India and Malaysia, and is considering South Africa, Thailand, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia as potential markets, the Seoul-based company said.AN.