By K. Deligiannis
[email protected]
A new international tender to sell-off three lignite-fired power units operated by the Public Power Corp. (PPC), Greece’s state-run and still dominant electricity utility, commenced on Friday after the posting on the ATHEX-listed company’s website of a relevant proclamation.
The three units are on the selling block along with a ready-to-execute license for a fourth unit.
The EU Commission’s competition directorate as well as European creditors have long demanded a further liberalization of Greece’s once fully state-controlled energy sector, namely, by separating its production capacity from distribution, grid oversight and retail provider.
The last such tender by the debt-plagued PPC was declared null and void last year, after bids were judged as unsatisfactory.
Speaking on Thursday, PPC CEO Manolis Panagiotakis said a preferred investor will be announced in the first week of May, based on a very tight timetable announced by the utility.
Panagiotakis made the statements after returning from China, where he briefed CHN Energy – which cooperates with the Copelouzos group – on the tender.
