ROMANIAN ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS, August 30, 2010. As many as 52 projects for investment in the expansion and upgrading of electricity and natural gas distribution networks worth a total of RON 771 million have been submitted for co-financing from structural funds, the Ministry of Economy, Commerce and Business Milieu (MECMA) reports in a press release. The maximum value of co-financing requested was RON 250 million. The call for project proposals under the operation that co-finances the expansion and upgrading of electricity and natural gas distribution systems from European structural funds is now closed, according to the MECMA General Directorate for Energy - Energy Intermediary Board. The budget earmarked for the call for project proposals was RON 117.2 million worth of European Fund for Regional Development and public money. The maximum co-financing value per project was set at RON 16.5 million. Potential beneficiaries are judicial persons, SMEs and large companies that own electricity and natural gas transmission networks and who are distribution operators or in business relations with electricity or natural gas distribution operators. Where the distribution networks involved are state-owned, the potential beneficiaries will be the judicial persons operating the networks under lease and holders of distribution licenses that have a right to expand and upgrade the networks.

Source: Agerpres