Bids submitted for construction at EC Zielona Gora

The Gazeta Wyborcza daily is reporting that five bids have been received for constructing a steam and gas block at combined heat and power plant EC Zielona Gora. Quoting unofficial sources, the paper says the five are German companies Babcock, Lurgi and Siemens, and two consortia, one comprising Mitex and Energobudowa, and the other Elektrim, Megadex and Fortum A decision on awarding the tender is expected by the middle of December. The cost of the project is estimated to be $120 million, and work will begin in the middle of 2004. Once the new block is completed, EC Zielona Gora will be one of the largest electric power producers in Eastern Europe. Currently, the plant is undergoing privatization, and the investor who purchases a majority stake in it will be obliged to finance the construction of the block. The leading contender in the privatization process is a consortium of three companies, Kogeneracja, Polish Energy Partners SA, and Dalkia Teramika, which has been granted exclusive rights to conduct negotiations by the treasury ministry. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 21) A.Z.