Inter RAO UES refutes reports on Company's negotiations for sale of Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA). "We are not holding any negotiations at the moment," the Company's official representative told Interfax.
Referring to Anton Nazarov, a representative of the Russian Company, Reuters also disclaimed the reports on the same of ENA.
On Monday, June 29, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported the Russian Company, Inter RAO, is seeking a buyer for the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) CJSC. The sources familiar with the situation say the negotiations with possible buyer are underway. According to the newspaper's insider source in Yerevan, the Russian businessman Samvel Karapetyan has been negotiating for buying ENA yet before the decision to increase the electricity price and the protests it triggered. At the same time, the Yerevan representatives of Tashir Group belonging to S. Karapetyan have refuted the reports. The Russian office of Tashir Group "had no information" on the issue. Kommersant's another source familiar with the energy situation in Armenia has confirmed the reports on the negotiations with Karapetyan's Tashir Group, saying negotiations are underway also with another Russian-Armenian businessman.
On Monday, Inter RAO Company said the Board of Directors will meet on July 10 to discussed its participation or termination of its participation in other organizations, as well as to approve possible deals. The company said that ENA is not in question.
ENA manages 36,000 power stations, which is nearly the entire electric power system of Armenia. INTER RAO is the sole owner of ENA. The watchdog adopted the decision to increase the electricity price by 6.93 drams on June 17 sparking thousands-strong protests in Armenia since June 19. ENA requested that the electricity price is increased by 17 drams.