The Slovak economy minister, R. Nemcsics, said yesterday that CEZ could participate in the privatization of the state’s 49% stake in Slovenske Elektrarne (SE), Slovakia's dominant power producer, despite having missed a deadline for non-binding bids. CEZ, unlike other bidders for SE, is interested in both SE's nuclear and non-nuclear units. SE is to be privatized in the near term. We believe that CEZ decided to take part in the tender after it appeared that investor interest might be limited, which could significantly reduce the selling price.
Separately, CEZ is to hold a press conference today on energy-sector restructuring and the group's business strategy (11 a.m. CET).
Jan Hajek