CEZ said yesterday that it remains interested in participating in the privatization of Slovenske Elektrarne (SE), Slovakia's dominant power producer, despite reports that CEZ had missed a deadline for non-binding bids. SE is to be privatized in the near term, though the Slovak government has yet to finalize the sale procedure. CEZ also said that, unlike other bidders, it is interested in both SE’s nuclear and non-nuclear units.
It remains unclear whether CEZ will be invited to perform a due diligence in SE; we believe that the company decided to take part in the tender after learning that the interest in SE from other bidders might be limited, which could significantly reduce the selling price. Neutral at the moment.
Jiří Soustružník