Late November biding-bid tender deadlines for Larco privatization

Officials intend to set late November binding-bid deadlines to two tenders concerning the privatization of financially pressured state-controlled nickel producer Larco, a delayed procedure whose completion was initially planned for the first half of this year.

The deadline dates for the two tenders will be set within days of each other, government sources have informed.

Greek officials are pushing ahead with the privatization procedure following pressure from the European Commission, which has informed that the sale needs to be completed soon if the government is to avoid hefty penalties for illegal state aid offered to the nickel producer.

Also, officials appear to have decided to dismiss the nickel producer’s 1,100 or so workers, according to the sources, while the labor ministry is currently looking for fund support to cover their compensation packages.

The privatization’s first of two tenders concerns the transfer of mines in Evia, Fthiotida, Viotia (Agios Ioannis area) and Kastoria, ore stocks, by-products and recyclable materials as well as plots of rural land.

The second tender concerns the privatization of the Larymna smelting plant, the Larymna and Loutsi mines and relevant mining rights and other assets owned by the Greek State and currently leased to Larco.

Three of six initial candidates remain in the running – GEK TERNA, MYTILINEOS and COMMODITY & MINING INSIGHT IRELAND LIMITED.

Mid-October bidding deadline for assets leased to Larco

Privatization fund TAIPED will, according to sources, set a mid-October deadline for binding bids concerning the privatization of the Larymna smelting plant, the Larymna and Loutsi mines and relevant mining rights and other assets owned by the Hellenic Republic and currently leased to “LARCO General Metallurgical & Mining Company S.A.” (LARCO).

Six interested parties are participant in the tender. These are:

  1. COMMODITY & MINING INSIGHT IRELAND LIMITED
  2. GEK TERNA S.A. – AD HOLDINGS AG
  3. MYTILINEOS S.A.
  4. SOLWAY INVESTMENT GROUP LIMITED
  5. THARISA PLC
  6. TRAFIGURA GROUP Pte Ltd

Appraisal of initial bids for Larymna assets lease contract by April

Privatization fund TAIPED and a supporting body are expected to complete, by early April, their appraisal of non-binding expressions of interest submitted to a tender by six investors for the lease of the Larymna smelting plant, Larymna and Loutsi mines, and relevant mining rights and other assets, all belonging to the Greek State and currently leased to troubled nickel producer Larco.

Expressions of Interest were submitted by the following Interested Parties (in alphabetical order):

  1. COMMODITY & MINING INSIGHT IRELAND LIMITED
  2. GEK TERNA S.A. – AD HOLDINGS AG
  3. MYTILINEOS S.A.
  4. SOLWAY INVESTMENT GROUP LIMITED
  5. THARISA PLC
  6. TRAFIGURA GROUP Pte Ltd

The six bids are currently being examined by the country’s foreign and defense ministries for any possible national security issues, sources closely monitoring the overall procedure have informed.

Once past this stage, the supporting documents accompanying the six non-binding offers will be examined by TAIPED and its supporting body.

Qualifiers making the tender’s second round will be given access to a video data room containing technical and financial data on Larco.