CONSTRUCTION OF POWER PLANT PLOMIN 2 TO FINISH BY END OF 1998

1998 $ PLOMIN, Sept 5 (Hina) - Work aimed at finishing the construction of the thermo-electric power plant TE Plomin 2 in Istria (northern Croatian Adriatic coast) began on Friday. Present at the ceremony of the beginning of this work were Croatian Economy Minister Nenad Porges, a senior advisor in the German economy ministry, Hans Schill, the Croatian Power Industry (HEP) director-general, Damir Begovic and the Essen-based RWE Energgie management's president, Rolf Bierhoff. A firm Plomin d.o.o. , a mixed company with the same share of HEP and the Essen-based company, was set up last year in order to take final activities aimed at completion of the construction. The last part of the construction work will be done by a consortium of firms, led by Austrian Energy&Environment and the TE Plomin d.o.o. The construction of the TE Plomin 2, planned to have power of 210 megawatt, should finish by the end of 1998. This investment costs about 250 million German marks. Representatives of local authorities did not come on Friday's ceremony expressing their protest at such power plant in their area. Mr. Bierhoff stressed that the power plant would be built in line with highest ecological standards and Minister Porges added that this power plant would enable economic development of the region. (hina) jn mš 052042 MET sep 97