IFC offers privatisation scheme for Sofia heating, power utility.

Finance ministry Plamen Oresharski comments during the IMF and WB forum in Singapore that the WB's corporate financing arm IFC wants to draft a privatisation plan for the heating and power utility in Sofia . The municipality of Sofia and the ministry of economy have recently signed a memorandum for selling out the plant by the end of next year and are planning to hire a privatisation consultant in short terms. The company is one of the country's largest energy producers if heat and electricity capacities are calculated in total. In the meanwhile, Sofia chief secretary Rosen Zheliazkov is quoted by local media as saying that the municipal authorities want to separate distribution assets from heat and power generation capacities and to start the privatisation of the plant with individual tenders for heat distribution units. The said approach is supposed to allow quick repayment of debts and possibly higher investor interest in the energy generation capacities.