PRAGUE, Oct 31 (Reuters) - French utility EDF, South Korea's KHNP and U.S. group Westinghouse Electric have submitted final bids in a tender run by Czech electricity producer CEZ to build a new nuclear power unit at its Dukovany plant, CEZ said on Tuesday.

CEZ, which is 70% owned by the Czech state, invited bids from all three earlier this year.

EDF said it had submitted its bid to build one EPR1200 reactor at Dukovany, along with more potential units as part of the tender.

"We believe that the long-term strategic partnership we are proposing will set a precedent for our continent and serve as the backbone for a more resilient and independent European nuclear industry," EDF Chairman Luc Remont said in a statement.

The Czech state has been looking at ways to restructure CEZ to limit the risks of the high-cost project and as part of plans to take more control over energy infrastructure, possibly including a full takeover of its nuclear operations.

The first new Dukovany reactor should come online around 2036.

The Czech Republic has been a strong backer of nuclear energy as a carbon-free power source for the future, unlike European Union neighbours Germany and Austria, and is planning new plants in addition to new gas-fired and renewable resources.

Any new nuclear units will come too late to immediately fill a gap caused by closure of coal-fired plants in the coming years, meaning the country is likely to turn from electricity exporter to importer for at least some period.

The Dukovany project would initially add one 1,200 MW reactor to four 500 MW Russian-designed units at the site, but the tender includes an option to build one more at Dukovany and two more at CEZ's other nuclear site, Temelin.

CEZ is also separately looking at building several small modular reactors being developed by various producers. It excluded bidders from China and Russia on security grounds before it launched the tender last year. (Reporting by Jason Hovet and Jan Lopatka)