25 May 2004 02:24
Russia`s RAO UES to bid for Slovak power maker SE in consortium
BRATISLAVA, May 25 (CTK) - Russian company RAO UES International wants to take part in privatisation of
Slovakia's largest power producer Slovenske elektrarne (SE) within a consortium, RAO UES International board
chairman Andrei Rappoport told journalists.
The Russian company is in talks with three strategic investors, he said, adding a decision on the privatisation
partner should be made in a month.
The subsidiary of Russia's biggest electricity producer RAO UES also declared today its readiness to complete
the third and fourth blocks of nuclear power station in Mochovce, West Slovakia.
RAO UES International has thus joined another bidder for SE, Czech energy group CEZ, which announced this stance
earlier.
The first two units of the Mochovce power station have been in operation since the late 1990s. The government stopped
work on the other two blocks, saying the power station could only be completed by a private company.
Slovak Economy Minister Pavol Rusko said recently that in SE's privatisation the government would prefer bidders
willing to complete Mochovce.
RAO UES International management said that besides Slovakia, the company wanted to expand to other European
countries. Rappoport did not rule out that RAO UES, which has a dominant position mainly in countries neighbouring
Russia, could enter the Czech market.
Representatives of the Russian company, who today held a meeting with the government commission for the privatisation
of 66 per cent of SE, did not want to comment on RAO UES price bid because the Slovak side has not yet provided some
information required.
Apart from RAO UES International and CEZ, among the bidders for SE is also Italian company Enel, which is allegedly
interested also in Slovak nuclear power stations.
Other suitors, Germany's E.ON and Austria's Verbund, want thermal and hydroelectric power stations only,
according to unofficial information.
SE operates three nuclear and two thermal power stations and several hydroelectric power sources. It accounts for
more than 80 per cent of Slovakia's electricity output.
Slovenske elektrarne netted Sk1.31bn last year, compared with 2002's profit of Sk234.91m, and raised sales by 6
per cent to Sk55.59bn.
cjl/er
[Czech News Agency] |
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