Additional investors can enter the privatization of power utility Slovenske elektrarne (SE), Economy Minister Robert Nemcsics said after the cabinet session on Wednesday. He said that so far only Czech power company CEZ has expressed serious interest. CEZ announced it would be interested in the privatization of SE as a single company. Other two investors only presented indicative interest. The minister said he would not hurry with this privatization. „We want to use all opportunities and select an investor who would make the best bid; time is not a priority,“ he said.
The Slovak government announced its intention to sell SE on August 1 of last year. Eight European strategic investors submitted preliminary bids. A commission preparing the privatization of SE recommended to the cabinet in March to approve a final version of privatization of SE that would include privatizing 49 percent of capital interest in restructured subsidiaries of SE. SE would own 100 percent of these newly established subsidiaries. Czech energy company CEZ announced its interest in participation in the privatization of SE on May 5, whereby it was the only potential investor interested in both conventional and nuclear energy assets of SE.