Electric Power Industry of Serbia (www.eps.rs), a monopoly, will undergo a phased privatizion, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said.

"EPS will be be privatized in several stages, so we can avoid mistakes that some countries have made," Cvetkovic told the weekly Ekonomist (www.emportal.rs) magazine in an interview.

"Soon some large companies will be entering the Serbian market to compete with EPS in electricity production".

Tenders are underway for the company's Kolubara B and TENT B3 thermal power plants.

"We estimate that the value of these investments is going to be up to two billion euros, and the majority owners of the two facilities will be foreign strategic partners, whose share of electricity production will be around 20%," the premier said.

"This will mark the first phase of privatization of EPS and create a competitive market."

The 2x350MW Kolubara B thermal plant is located around 40 kilometres southeast of Belgrade. Its construction started in 1988. A new unit, the 700MW TENT B3, which is to be a part of existing TENT B, is due for construction as a joint venture with a strategic partner.

Source: Balkans.com Business News