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Prishtinë, May 29, 2006 – The Ministry of Energy and Mining has the support of the Kosovo institutions for the issue of attracting new investors in the sector of energy. The new investor in this sector will be selected until the end of this year. According to Minister of Energy and Mining Ethem Çeku, there are preconditions for these investments.
“We have laws that determine the procedures. It will be an open tender. The qualification criteria are set by local institutions and everything will be in the most possible transparent way,” said Minister Çeku.
However, UNMIK officials said that the selection of the private investor in the sector of energy is being done too hastily. “It is a very much accelerated step compared to what was foreseen earlier. It was not expected to start with a tender for “Kosovo C” before 2007. It was even foreseen, that a part of the financing should be made by the Sibovc mine to finance also KEK,” said UNMIK Pillar IV Chief Joachim Ruecker.
The Kosovo Government considers that with the implementation of this project considerable revenues for the general budget would be collected. “We want to bring revenues of more than € 150 million per year in the Kosovo Consolidated Budget and € 600 million gross into the general circulation,” said Çeku.
The revenues for the Kosovo Budget are not a strong argument, but the improvement of the energy situation in Kosovo might be the main argument for UNMIK to implement this project.
“That would not be a reason. One of the reasons might be that Kosovo C would lead to high revenues for the budget. But the main reason why we should accelerate the process is that the things in the energy sector should go forward,” said Ruecker.
As far as the selection of a private investor is concerned, UNMIK officials said it should be in accordance with international standards. If not they consider the project as being unacceptable.
In the meantime, the Press Office of UNMIK Pillar IV said that the impression created by the journalists on this issue, that there exist different views regarding the acceleration of the process and the importance of a power plant also for the Kosovo budget is wrong. The statement of Ruecker has been misinterpreted by journalists, Pillar IV press officials say.
ECIKS