Britain's drive to build a new generation of nuclear power stations took another leap forward yesterday after a German consortium acquired two sites earmarked for the construction of new reactors.

The joint venture between E.ON and RWE, two of Europe's largest power utilities, outbid rival groups in an auction for land at Oldbury in Gloucestershire and Wylfa on Anglesey.

EDF, the French state-controlled energy company, acquired another piece of land at Bradwell in Essex in the auction, which began a month ago.

The sale of the three government-owned sites, which has raised £387 million, was being handled by their owner, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).

The consortium of E.ON UK and RWE npower bought 178 hectares (438 acres) of land at Wylfa and 48 hectares (119 acres) of land at Oldbury, while EDF Development Company bought the 200 hectares (493 acres) of land at Bradwell, the NDA said. A third consortium, consisting of Iberdrola, the Spanish utility, Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and GDF-Suez, dropped out of the race as bidding for the sites rose sharply.

Bidding, via an eBay-style online auction, ended on Wednesday.

Ed Miliband, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, said: “The successful outcome of this site auction is yet more evidence of major energy players gearing up for investment in low-carbon energy in the UK.

“Alongside EDF Energy's firm plans, the RWE and E.ON joint venture plans announced today take the total declared plans for the first phase of new build to 12.4 gigawatts, greater than our existing, but ageing, nuclear capacity.”

Richard Waite, the acting chief executive of NDA, said: “The sale of these three sites is worth up to £387 million, which the NDA will use to help fund the cost of decommissioning and further its core mission.” The sites are expected to be approved by the Government this summer.

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