Swedish energy group Vattenfall has received two binding offers for its lignite assets in Germany, from the Czech lignite mining company Vranska Uhelna (part of Czech Coal) and from a consortium of Czech energy group Energetický a Průmyslový Holding (EPH) and PPF Investments. Vattenfall expects to make a proposal on the sale to the Swedish government (its owner) during the first half of 2016.
Vattenfall's lignite assets are mainly located in the states of Brandenburg and Saxony (Lusatia region) and correspond to the Boxberg, Jänschwalde, Schwarze Pumpe power plants, to Lippendorf block R power unit (total lignite-fired power capacity of 8.1 GW) and to lignite mining activities (Jänschwalde, Nochten, Reichwalde, Welzow-Süd and Cottbus Nord). Ten hydropower plants located in the regions adjacent to the lignite assets are also offered for sale but only in conjunction with the German lignite assets (they will not be sold separately).
Czech power group ČEZ has decided against submitting a binding offer to acquire Vattenfall’s lignite and hydro activities in Germany, that the Swedish group put for sale in late 2014 (it invited bidders in September 2015); ČEZ has submitted a non-binding offer in December 2015 but is suffering from low wholesale electricity prices in Europe, that impact its financial performance. In addition, Germany decided in 2015 to put some lignite-fired power plants in a reserve as of 2018, including 1 GW of Vattenfall's capacity, to meet its CO2 emission reduction targets by 2020.
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