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Weekly Lists
May 19, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 24
bne:
Infrastructure
China’s HNA Airport Group bids for concession of Bulgaria’s Plovdiv Airport
Slovak president vetoes bill allowing roadbuilding on land ahead of expropriation
China’s HNA Airport Group is one of the three bidders for the concession of the Plovdiv Airport in Bulgaria, the transport ministry said on May 18. HNA Airport Group is part of a consortium with Dutch-registered Plovdiv Airport Invest. The Chinese company is the third largest airport investment management group in China and runs 16 airports.
The second bidder is a local consortium called Consortium Plovdiv Airport and including Trakia Economic Zone (TEZ) and major Bul- garian road transport firm PIMK. TEZ is a public-private partner- ship that includes six major industrial zones in the region of Plov- div. In order to prove the required experience in managing airports, the consortium has an agreement with the state airport operator, Capital Daily reported.
Both bidders plan to develop Plovdiv Airport as a cargo airport, the daily reported.
Slovakian President Andrej Kiska has vetoed legislation that would allow the state to start work on infrastructure projects on land be- fore it is expropriated, media reported on May 18.
The bill represents significant interference in property rights, the president insists, according to Kiska. The legislation, passed in a fast-track procedure by parliament on May 16. is therefore "inap- propriate and untenable", the president’s office said.
A massive roadbuilding programme is forecast to help boost Slovak GDP growth this year, boosting confidence in the battered construc- tion sector. However, Bratislava has been harshly criticized for some of the deals it has signed, while also facing scandals con- nected to the segment in recent years. The Supreme Audit Office (NKU) recently slammed the National Highway Company (NDS)
for poor progress in planning and permitting roads, and a lack of transparency.
Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (RAI) and state-owned Span-
ish railway development company ADIF have signed a deal for the redevelopment of rail traffic management systems in Iran, Islamic Republic News Agency reported on May 17.
Iran’s railway sector has been awarded IRR18.5tn ($462mn) for the current Persian calendar year as part of plans by the Rouhani ad- ministration to speed up developments connecting new cities to the national network and overhaul existing infrastructure.
Spain, Iran sign deal to overhaul rail infrastructure