Zaman reported that several energy giants are racing to participate in the privatization of Ankara’s natural gas distribution.

Mr Veysek Karani Demir GM of Ankara Metropolitan Municipality’s Başkent Doğalgaz Dağıtım distribution company said that companies from the US, Russia and Europe will compete for the privatization along with domestic energy giants. He added that "Thirty five firms have acquired the bid specifications for the tender for the distribution rights, which will be held on March 14th 2008."

Some of the major companies that acquired bid specifications are Bosporus Gaz, Zorlu Petrogas, Energaz, Türkerler İnşaat, Gaz Natural, Çalık Enerji, ENBW, Suez Tractebel, Palgaz, HSBC, Yüksel İnşaat, Koç Statoil and JP Morgan. The companies who applied for data room were Merrill Lynch, Bosporus Gaz, Zorlu Petrogas, Gaz de France, Suez-Tractebel, Energaz, Nurol Holding, Çalık Enerji, Gaz Natural, Palgaz, Akfenhes, Güriş, Eni, ENBW, Limak, Elektromed and Unicredit.

Mr Demir said that they had sent letters promoting the tender to Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges, Turkish Foreign Ministry, Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association, the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association, municipalities and numerous energy institutions in Europe.

He said that Ankara Municipality will make further investments with the money acquired from this tender after paying its USD 676 million debt to the Turkish Pipeline Corporation and USD 200 million to the Treasury.