Kolmex hopes to buy Kozienice power station as well as Bogdanka coal mine

Despite its poor financial state, Warsaw-based Kolmex, wants to create its own energy group. Already taking part in the tender for the purchase of Bogdanka coalmine, the voracious former railway rolling stock trader with alleged SLD ties is now eyeing the Kozienice power plant. The firm has already filed its binding offer with the Treasury Ministry and is one of the three companies fighting for the plant. Its competitors are Belgian energy concern Electrabel (a Polaniec power plant investor), plus a third unknown company. "We are interested in the energy sector. Bidding for the purchase of Bogdanka and Kozienice is a natural result of this fact," said Andrzej Nalecz, the chairman of Kolmex's subsidiary, Kolmex Invest. However, like the Treasury Ministry, he would not disclose any further details about the deal. According to Puls Biznesu, Kolmex is going to double its group's equity capital in 2003 from zl. 507 million in 2001. Its operational profit last year was nearly zl. 79 million. According to Rzeczpospolita, the group' s capital is only zl. 180 million and last year the firm was zl. 477,000 in the red with zl. 104 million and over zl. 7 million in respective short and long-term liabilities. (Puls Biznesu, p. 4) J.K.