KYIV. Sept 28 (Interfax-Ukraine) – A total of 15 investors have signed confidentiality contracts with Ukraine’s State Property Fund (SPF) to have the right to study regional electricity supply companies with the purpose of participation in their privatization, SPF Head Ihor Bilous has said.
“There are around 15 investors, and 95% of them are foreigners. There are several Ukrainian companies. This will be international privatization,” he said on 3s.tv channel.
Bilous said that this autumn it is planned to put six regional electricity supply companies and four combined heat and power plants up for sale. He said that there are no buyers for the combined heat and power plants.
He welcomed the adoption of the law on the regulator – National Commission for Energy, Housing and Utilities Services Regulation (NCER) – last week and expressed hope that the NCER would soon endorse RAB (Regulatory Asset Base) regulation.
He said that investors are to invest at least $30 million in each of the six companies.
Commenting on Centrenergo, Bilous said that active advertising of the company will start at the end of this year, and it is preliminarily planned to put it up for sale in Q2 2017. He said that thanks to donors a technical advisor has been hired – Deloitte. Bilous predicts that several times more funds will be spent to prepare Centrenergo for the privatization compared to UAH 25 million allocated for Odesa Port-Side Plant.
Bilous also said that he hopes that Odesa Port-Side Plant will be sold this November. The approval of the starting price is left. He said that some clauses of the sale and purchase agreement would refer to English law foreseeing international arbitration. It is done to attract investors.
According to the privatization schedule approved on September 23, SPF seeks to announce tenders to sell 65.001% in Kharkivoblenergo, 70% in Mykolaivoblenergo, 50.999% in Ternopiloblenergo and 70.009% Khmelnytskoblenergo, and in November – 60.248% in Zaporizhiaoblenergo.
It is planned to put 71% in Cherkasyoblenergo up for sale, but the 46% stake managed by the fund is to be merged with the 25% stake belonged to private joint-stock company Ukresco.
