July 11 (SeeNews) - Serbia's energy minister Aleksandar Antic said eleven companies have expressed interest in a tender for a strategic partner in state-run copper mining and smelting company RTB Bor.
The government plans to call the tender in the coming days, Antic said, as quoted in a statement by the government on Tuesday.
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The tender has attracted the interest of Chinese, Russian and Canadian companies, as companies from Turkey and Kazakhstan also plan to participate, Antic said.
The strategic partner needs to recapitalise RTB Bor by investing in its mining activities, he added.
Serbia's prime minister Ana Brnabic said in May the government plans to call a tender for a strategic partner in RTB Bor in June.
A Serbian court approved in July 2016 a plan for the restructuring of RTB Bor, allowing the write-off of 90% of the company's unsecured debt. Under the plan, the remaining 10% of debt will be repaid over eight years with a one-year grace period, while the secured debt will be converted into equity.