Dalkia hopes to become major player on heating market

Development director of the French energy concern Dalkia Jean-Michel Mazalerat, has informed the press that his company is developing a strategy to take over 15% of the heating and power distribution market by 2005. The partnership hopes to achieve its plan through acquiring stakes in city heat and power stations (PEC), distribution joint ventures and distributor contracts with urban authorities. Dalkia is particularly interested in developing this last option. City authorities will not receive substantial revenues from this source at once, as investments are needed to renovate the ageing system. Dalkia will soon sign a distribution contract with the town council of Zielona Gora. However, local governments prefer to sell stakes in heat and power stations rather then chose operator contracts. The biggest transaction of this type so far, was the sale of a 51% stake in Poznan PEC to Dalkia for zl. 162 million. The company had a consolidated turnover of euro 4.38 billion for 2001. (Prawo i Gospodarka, p. 4; Parkiet, p. 8) M.M.