The contract is worth £1.7bn, and will run for more than 17 years, according to South Korean media reports.

A Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction spokesman said: "The deal is under discussion but nothing has been finalised."

Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction is the parent company of DPS.

EDF Energy currently owns and operates 15 nuclear plants at eight nuclear power stations in the UK, with a combined capacity of around 8.8 million kW, which represents a significant proportion of the country’s total installed electricity generation capacity from all energy sources.

The nuclear stations include Hinkley Point B, Hunterston B, Dungeness B, Heysham 1 and 2, Hartlepool, Torness, as well as Sizewell B.

In addition, the company plans to build two new nuclear plants at Hinkley Point and two at Sizewell, adjacent to the existing sites.