Greek construction firm J&P Avax (AVAr.AT) is the frontrunner to build a 50 megawatt solar facility in southern Greece, which would be one of Europe's biggest photovoltaic parks, utility PPC (DEHr.AT) said.

J&P Avax submitted the lowest bid for the 140 million euro ($202 million) Megalopolis project, PPC said in a statement on Wednesday. This means the company's board will most likely award the contract to J&P, a PPC official told Reuters.

The Megalopolis tender, launched in June 2010, is a vital project in PPC's ambitions to boost its production of renewable energy. PPC is Greece's dominant power producer, but sun and wind account for less 1 percent of its total electricity output.

PPC's renewables unit plans to invest about 2 billion euros over the next five years to increase its clean energy production by a factor of seven to a total capacity of 1,200 MW.

Under PPC's plans, the Megalopolis unit will be dwarfed by a 200 MW, 600 million euro solar park in Kozani, northern Greece.

A total of 15 bidders have expressed interest in the Kozani project, and PPC may ask them as early as mid-September to submit binding bids, the PPC official said.

($1 = 0.694 Euros)

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