ČEZ gets four bids for coal power plant Dětmarovice

Prague, Oct 8 (CTK) - Four bids have been submitted for black-coal power plant Detmarovice in northern Moravia, Barbora Pulpanova, spokeswoman of power company CEZ, told CTK without disclosing the names of the bidders and details of their offers.

CEZ has not published these details because formal evaluation of the bids still continues, she explained.

CEZ got the offers on Friday. The names of the bidders are not known. Among the investors interested in the power plant in the past were heat supplier in northern Moravia Dalkia and Energeticky a prumyslovy holding (EPH), the largest heat supplier in the Czech Republic. None of the companies said whether they had submitted a bid, however.

According to press information, mining firm NWR and some investment group could also be interested in the power plant.

Power plant Detmarovice is located near the Polish border. With the output at 800 megawatts, it is the most efficient coal power plant in the Czech Republic.

CEZ is selling coal power plants to gain money but mainly to convince the European Commission that it is not limiting competition.

The Bloomberg news agency reported Monday that Joaquin Almunia, the European Commissioner for Competition, said he expects the dispute between the European Commission and CEZ to be settled by the end of the year.

CEZ has put up for sale five power plants: Pocerady, Chvaletice, Tisova together with Melnik 3 and Detmarovice.

It is not certain yet how many power plants CEZ will sell in the end. Pulpanova said CEZ had pledged to sell one of the five power plants with an output of at least 800 megawatts in the settlement agreement with the European Commission.

However, the company does not rule out that it will sell more power plants if it receives interesting offers.