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Cabinet says ready to take over Sofia's troubled heating utility

Tue, Nov 11 2008 13:45 CET bydnevnik.bg 145 Views

Bulgaria's Economy and Energy Ministry has said in a letter to Sofia municipality that the state was ready to take over the 58 per cent municipal stake in the city's ailing heating utility. The proposal came after the ministry blocked the city hall's proposal to inject 55 million leva into the capital of Toplofikatsiya Sofia.

Meantime, the company's chief executive Petko Milevski told Bulgarian news agency BTA that the utility would only switch on central heating in kindergartens, schools and hospitals, due to scarce supply from state-run gas distributor Bulgargaz. Homes and other public buildings will stay in the cold despite Toplofikatsiya's pledges to heat all of its some 400 000 subscribers.

The utility is still working in summer mode and the gas it gets is only enough to heat up water, Milevski said.

Bulgargaz has cropped supplies to Toplofikatsia to 30 per cent of the needed quantities over ballooning outstanding debts. The gas company's management was not immediately available for comment.

The utilities in Varna and Bourgas, sold off and in private hands, have said they would switch on the heating with the first offering a five per cent discount for buildings where 80 per cent of the homes are hooked to the grid.

Source: Dnevnik

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