Fukushima operator wins Qatar utility contract

The operator of the tsunami-crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has jointly won a large power and water infrastructure contract in the desert state of Qatar, it said Monday.

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and Japanese trading house Mitsubishi Corp have been selected by a company backed by the Qatari government to build and operate power and water plants for 25 years, in a project worth some $2.5 billion.

The announcement will be welcome news for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has led the drive for Japanese companies to sell their technology abroad and represents TEPCO's biggest foreign commercial success since the triple meltdowns at Fukushima in 2011.

However, the new agreement does not include nuclear technology.

The deal, sealed between K1 Energy, a joint venture established by Mitsubishi and TEPCO, and Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (KAHRAMAA), "is the result of an international tender issued by the KAHRAMAA in May 2014", the Japanese companies said in a statement.

The final purchase agreement will be concluded between KAHRAMAA and a special purpose company established through a partnership among K1 Energy and three other Qatar companies, it said.

"The special purpose company will construct, own and operate a gas-fired power generation plant with the capacity of 2.4 gigawatts and a water desalination plant with the capacity of 590,000 cubic metres per day in Qatar over 25 years," it said.