French construction company Bouygues has won a *300m (拢203m) contract to build a nuclear power plant in Flamanville, on the northern coast of France.

The firm has a growing presence in the UK and last year made a 拢5.4m operating profit in Britain. It is likely to want to expand its nuclear expertise to this side of Channel.

A spokesperson for Bouygues said it was 鈥渢oo early to say鈥� whether the company would look to enter the UK nuclear market or embark on joint ventures with UK companies.

The Flamanville civil engineering contract is for four-and-a-half years. Bouygues Construction鈥檚 share of the contract is worth more than *300m. It will be working in a consortium alongside Quille, a subsidiary of Bouygues, and Baudin-Chateauneuf, a steel-work contractor. Construction is due to start next year.