Czech competition office clears EPH hold over Prague cogen company

The Czech competition watchdog said on Monday that it had cleared Czech holding company Energetický a Průmyslový Holding’s (EPH) acquisition of joint control of Prague’s main heat and power provider, Pražská Teplárenská. The Office for the Protection of competition approved EPH’s 49% stake in the joint venture holding company which controls the cogeneration company. The city of Prague municipality has the remaining 51% in the holding company.

The approved move was one in a series of deals reshaping the Czech power sector that is currently being investigated by competition officials in Brussels amid suspicion that ČEZ, EPH and EnBW may have agreed to divide up the market between them.