Gazprom plans to sign deal to buy Belgian power plant from Enel at St. Petersburg forum
MOSCOW. June 18 (Interfax) - Gazprom may sign a deal to purchase the Marcinelle electric station in Belgium from Enel at this week's St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), several industry sources told Interfax.
The agreement would be non-binding, since the sides have yet to agree the sale price, the sources said, adding that they expect the deal to be worth more than 200 million euro.
The acquisition would be a part of an asset swap with Enel, which has already bought a production asset in Russia: a stake in SeverEnergia in Yamalo-Nenets autonomous district.
The Marcinelle Energie combined cycle gas turbine power plant entered service in the spring of 2012. The station has 405 megawatts of capacity. Enel Trade manages the plant under a tolling agreement.
The SPIEF website lists Enel SPA chief Fulvio Conti as a forum participant.
The appeal of gas-fired generation has declined substantially in Europe since cheap coal from the U.S., displaced by the shale gas revolution, began flooding the market, rendering gas generation uncompetitive.