The gas-steam power plant Malženice has changed hands. (source: TASR )
Regional power producer and distributor Západoslovenská Energetika (ZSE), in which the state has a 51 percent stake, bought the gas-steam power plant Malženice from the German company E.ON. The price was not specified.
“Based on an agreement and consultations of both of our shareholders, we have acquired a 100 percent stake in the trade company operating the gas-steam power plant Malženice,” said Michaela Dobošová, ZSE spokeswoman, as cited by the vEnergetike.sk website dedicated to the energy sector. “The acquisition decision is based on the strategic importance of this combined cycle power plant for the whole Slovak electrical grid.”
E.ON switched off the power plant in Malženice near Trnava, western Slovakia, in the autumn of 2013 because it became unprofitable after the fall in electrical prices.
“The current, more favourable situation on the commodity market enables us to consider its re-start,” said Dobošová.
ZSE does not know how it will operate the plant if and when it switches it on.
The state counts on the gas-steam power plant Malženice in all its energy strategies. It is a highly flexible source of electricity that might be used for balancing and regulating the national grid. It can also be used as a back-up for one reactor of a nuclear power station.
With its 58 percent efficiency, it belongs among the most effective in Europe. It was put into operation in 2011. It has an installed capacity of 436 megawatts. The original investment totaled €430 million.
