German utility RWE AG (RWE.XE) Tuesday said it is interested in investing in the renewable energies sector in Bulgaria.
In a written statement the company said Chief Executive Juergen Grossmann discussed this issue and others with Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev at a meeting in Berlin.
RWE is interested in "opportunities for hydro power plants and wind farms" in Bulgaria, the company said, without elaborating.
RWE has repeatedly stated countries in southeastern Europe, including Bulgaria, are key growth markets. "The company aims to achieve substantial growth in this region," RWE said.
RWE said Grossmann and Prime Minister Stanishev also discussed RWE's plans to join a Bulgarian consortium for the construction of a nuclear power plant in the town of Belene.
Bulgaria's state-owned National Electricity Co. has chosen RWE as preferred bidder for a 49% stake in the project. The 1-gigawatt EUR4 billion power plant is expected to be completed by 2014.
RWE expressed confidence the final negotiations over the power plant "will be concluded soon."
Stanishev and Grossmann also discussed the 3,300-kilometer Nabucco pipeline project, which will transport 31 billion cubic meters of gas a year from the Caspian region, the Middle East and Egypt to Europe, through Turkey, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Austria.
"Nabucco is a cornerstone in our efforts to diversify European gas import routes and sources," Grossmann said.
The members of the Nabucco consortium are Austria's OMV AG (OMV.VI), Hungary's MOL Nyrt. (MOL.BU), Romania's Transgaz, Bulgaria's Bulgargas, Turkey's Botas and RWE.