6.2.13
The government is currently reviewing the different privatization models of European state power companies, with the Italian example of “Enel” being the most popular one so far. The restructuring of DEI was meant to be concluded in June 2012, however following a series of stalls, the decision has been moved to February 2013.
The way Enel was privatized was through the sale of representative production units to third parties. British bank HSBC, which has been hired as a privatization consultant, has suggested DEI selling 30% of its assets via TAIPED (the privatization fund) as a “mini DEI”, with its own mines and production units. The sale of lignite and hydroelectric units has been considered.
That way an operational and attractive (resource-wise), staffed company can become a competitor to the “larger” DEI. This will also “open up” the energy market, which has been a consistent European Commission demand for the past decade. This “mini DEI” would be sold for about 1 billion euros, with firms from Qatar, Germany, France and Spain expressing some interest in this new “mini DEI”.
