Siemens and ABB land over 7 million-euro contracts

ABB Romania, the domestic branch of the Swiss-Swedish company operating in the sector of power equipment and industrial services, announced on Monday the delivery of two retooled electrical power stations, on the basis of contracts worth around 6m euros sealed with Electrica Transilvania Nord and Transelectrica Pitesti, respectively.

German company Siemens has recently signed a 1m-euro contract with Electrocentrale Bucharest power producer, to supply a voice and data network.

Major international equipment and services suppliers are jostling for better positions on the Romanian energy market, which has been dominated by state-owned companies until last year.

Following the first takeovers of companies in this sector, by large foreign investors such as CEZ (the Czech Republic), E.ON (Germany) and Enel (Italy), all of which have voiced plans to pour massive investment to modernise the infrastructure of the acquired assets, international companies in the power equipment and services market will log rising orders.

ABB and Siemens hold solid positions on the Romanian power market, being among the biggest suppliers in this market.

ABB, a Swiss-Swedish company, carried out a contract for the modernisation of Electrica Oradea Centru station worth 3.8 million euros. ABB finished works for the restoration of Transelectrica Pitesti station, on the basis of a contract worth 2.28 million euros. The station secures electrical power for industrial consumers of Pitesti area, such as CET and the Arpechim platform, owned by Petrom.

In both projects, ABB Romania was the general contractor, while the design and construction of stations were exclusively handled by Romanian firms.

This once again confirms the policy the group is applying to the Romanian market.

Siemens, which has embraced a completely different policy for the Romanian market, opening plants at a fast pace, has signed a 1m-euro contract with Electrocentrale Bucharest for the development of a voice and data network.

The network will connect the central headquarters with CET Grozavesti, CET Sud, CET Progresul, CET Titan and CET Vest thermal power stations.

The contract will be carried out in five months after the date the contract was signed.

During the fiscal year of 2005, which ended on September 30th, the domestic branch of the German industrial giant created turnover of approximately 350 million euros.

Siemens plans to reach a turnover equal to one billion euros annually by 2014 through various activities, which it operates within the Romanian market.

roxana.petrescu@zf.ro