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Poland Seeks Talks With GE to Switch Coal-Plant Project to Gas

Poland Seeks Talks With GE to Switch Coal-Plant Project to Gas

(Bloomberg) -- Polish state-controlled companies want to make the contested Ostroleka power plant less dirty and seek talks with General Electric Co. to change the planned coal-fired facility into a gas-burning one, according to a senior government official.

The European Union has initially applauded the planned change at Ostroleka, a $1.5 billion project which Polish companies suspended last week, citing difficulties in gaining funding, said the official, who asked not to be named.

It will be up to refiner PKN Orlen SA and utility Energa SA to hammer out the details of the fuel-switch with GE, which was hired to build the coal plant, the official said. Poland’s government spokesman was not immediately reachable for comment by phone or message.

Energa, which is being bought by Orlen, along with peer Enea SA have spent close to a quarter-billion dollars on Ostroleka, according to a December investment cost estimate by the State Assets Ministry.

--With assistance from Marek Strzelecki and Maciej Martewicz.

To contact the reporter on this story: Wojciech Moskwa in Warsaw at wmoskwa@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Merritt at dmerritt1@bloomberg.net, Piotr Bujnicki

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