ANKARA
Six investors have submitted official bids in a tender to sell 100 percent of stakes in Turkish capital's natural gas grid, BaskentGas, Turkey's second largest gas distribution network.
BaskentGas has nearly 1.4 million subscribers with more than 70 new subscriptions annually, and its sales volume is over 2.3 billion cubic meters a year.
Eighty percent of the BaskentGas stakes are state-controlled while 20 percent is owned by the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality.
Two former tenders for the privatization of the gas grid have seen offers as high as $1.61 billion in 2008 and $1.21 billion in 2010, however, they were not concluded as the winning bidders failed to fulfill contractual obligations.
Bidders in the third tender include Eksim Yatirim Holding AS–GENPA Telekomunikasyon ve Iletisim Hizmetleri Sanayi ve Ticaret AS-MKS Marmara Entegre Kimya Sanayi AS; Fernas Insaat AS; Torunlar Gida Sanayi ve Ticaret AS; Turkerler Insaat Tur. Mad. Enerji Uretim Ticaret ve San AS-Gama Holding AS; Zorlu Holding AS; and Akfen Holding AS–STFA Yatirim Holding AS.
