Chinese power engineering firm CNEEC wants to start close cooperation with Polish engineering firm Rafako and wants the two firms to realize the Jaworzno power block contract together, regardless of which company wins the tender, CNEEC CEO Zhao Ruolin told reporters.

"Regardless of what decisions are made concerning Jaworzno, we want to cooperate with Rafako," Ruolin said. "Rafako as a local firm perfectly knows Polish reality and that's why we are a good match for future cooperation."

So far no talks on cooperation details have been conducted, the CEO said. The cooperation could start with the Jaworzno project, regardless which firm wins the tender.

"If Rafako wins the tender, we want to cooperate with them to enter the Polish market," Ruolin said. "If we win it, we also want to cooperate with Rafako in order to carry it out well."

Polish press reported on Monday that company Rafako's parent company PBG is likely to co-operate with CNEEC over the PLN 5.4 billion worth of contract for the construction of 910 MW Jaworzno power block for energy company Tauron to be realized by PBG's unit Rafako and Mostostal Warszawa. PBG's main shareholder Jerzy Wisniewski reportedly wants to convince CNEEC to be a subcontractor and to provide cash for the construction, according to daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.

The two firms compete in the Jaworzno tender. The deal was granted to a consortium of Rafako and Mostostal Warszawa. The consortium filed a PLN 4.4 billion bid for constructing the block. Competing bids of Chinese consortium of CNEEC and COVEC, Alstom Power and SNC-Lavalin Polska were rejected as they failed to conform with the specification requirements, Tauron said at the time. CNEEC appealed against the decision to Poland's public procurement appeals body KIO. The Chinese had filed the lowest bid.