CEZ confirmed the submission of its bid for all the assets of the state-owned Slovenske elektrarne, the dominant Slovak power producer (26TWh annually), excluding two parts of NPP Bohunice and the Gabcikovo hydro power plant. CEZ has offered to operate them, however. Besides CEZ, the Italian Enel, the Russian RAO UES and the Austrian Verbund have submitted bids; the latter is interested only in SE's non-nuclear assets. Note that the Slovak Cabinet will give preference to those bidders interested in the nuclear assets. The privatization advisor (PWC) should submit its recommendation to the Slovak government by August 12.
Also, the Cabinet approved its bid for CEZ's 34% stake in CEPS, the domestic transmission grid operator, at CZK 6.5bn yesterday. Should CEZ not sell the stake in the ongoing public tender (bids to be submitted by August 3) it could then accept the state's bid, which thus represents the minimum selling price.
Separately, the sector regulator announced that net domestic power consumption and exports increased by 3.5% and 5% y-o-y respectively in H1 2004 (to 28.84 TWh and 12.56 TWh).
Jan Hajek