GDANSK, Sept 12 (Askume) – Polish utility Tauron (TPE.WA)The coal asset carve-out programme (NABE) is seen as the preferred solution as it offers the group better financing options, but it is preparing for all eventualities, Chief Executive Grzegorz Lott said at Thursday’s results conference.
“Even if the separation of coal assets does not happen, we will still implement it in other models. (…) We are preparing for every scenario. In the next few months, once the final situation is clear, we will prepare and present our strategy.”
Polish energy companies have revised their expectations for NABE’s breakthrough plan after Poland’s property minister said earlier this month that NABE has “somewhat of a nuclear option.”
Under a now largely abandoned plan by the previous government, units of state-controlled PGE, Torron and Enea that operate coal-fired power plants would be merged into NABE, with a new state-owned company assuming their debts. The plan is designed to ease the burden on the companies as financing for coal assets becomes more difficult.
Earlier in the meeting, Lott said Tauron would present the group’s strategy until the end of 2024.
(This story has been re-edited to remove repeated words in paragraph 1)
