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Bulgaria receives 5 bids for strategic stake in Belene nuke plant

The companies that have submitted initial offers are Italy's Enel, CEZ of the Czech Republic, Germany's RWE and E.ON and Belgium's Electrabel.

The only one of the six shortlisted candidates not to hand in an offer was France's EDF.

NEK said no details about the offers will be disclosed at this stage of the competition.

The candidates were required to state the size of the equity stake they were eyeing.

It was recently reported that CEZ intends to bid for the full 49% stake.

The competition was launched in May. The 10 candidates that came forth were divided by NEK into two groups.

CEZ, EDF, E.ON, Electrabel, Enel and RWE made up the group of candidates wishing to subscribe directly or through participation in a consortium for up to 49% of the shares in Belene Power Company.

The candidates wishing to acquire directly or through participation in a consortium shares equal to or less than 25% of the capital of Belene Power Company were Endesa, EGL, Cumerio Med AD and Atel.

The group 1 candidates were invited to sign a confidentiality agreement whereafter to be furnished with an information memorandum for the Belene NPP Project.

Those candidates were able to carry out due diligence on the project and had to submit initial offers by October 17, 2007 to be used as a basis of the negotiations with NEK.(