18.07.2000, MEDIAMAX, YEREVAN. “It’s clear today that only four companies will participate in the tender for the privatization of the distributive power networks of Armenia, that is, the Spanish, French, Swiss and American ones”, declared to the journalists the minister of energy of Armenia Karen Galustian.
According to the minister, the bill of the privatization of the distributive power networks takes into consideration the interests both of Armenia and the potential investors. Mr. Galustian noted that after the privatization an improvement of the general finance state of the energy system of Armenia is expected.
Four power distributive companies are united in two packages – the first includes the Closed JSC “Yerevan power network” and the “Northern network”, the second one – the “Southern network” and the “Central network”. Only one package can be purchased by a participant of the contest.
Before the parliament took the decision on April 25 to withdraw the power networks from the state property privatization program of 1998-2000, and it was proposed to realize their privatization by means of adopting a separate law, the following companies had a claim on the purchase of 4 distributive networks – the Russian “Itera”; the American “AES Silk Road”; the Italian “ACEA”; the Spanish “Union Fenosa Acex”; and the Swiss “ABB”. On April 10 the competitive committee debarred the Russian “Rosenergoatom” company from taking part in the tender, after which talks began around the privatization of distributive power networks.
The West, the World Bank in particular, has repeatedly made Armenia understand that it favors the interests of the American “AES” company in the tender. The regional director of the World Bank Judy O’Connor, being in Yerevan in June for a visit, stated that Armenia will get the last part of the SAC-3 credit (the negotiations for the providing of which are being carried on for about a year) only after the privatization of the distributive power networks. According to her, the question of providing the SAC-4 credit in the amount of about 40 million dollars is also directly connected with the privatization of the power networks.
In May 2000 the minister of Energy of Armenia David Zadoyan said that the Russian “Itera” company might form a consortium with one of the Western companies for repeated participation in the tender. As it became known to MEDIAMAX from informed sources, “Itera” tried to form a consortium with the Spanish company “Union Fenosa”, which, by the way, has recently purchased the distributive power networks of Moldavia.
It is unknown yet, whether” Itera” has succeeded in it or the Russian company has given up the participation in the tender. -0-
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