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Mexican regulator sets terms to finalize state purchase of Iberdrola plants

Mexican regulators provided brand-new terms on the government's. planned purchase of 13 power plants from Spain's Iberdrola,. developed to ensure competitors in the nation's power. generation market, according to a judgment provided on Thursday.

In the judgment, the antitrust regulator, known as Cofece,. worried that the plants be operated independently and prevent an. exchange of delicate details amongst rivals, to name a few. conditions.

The regulator stated the conditions it is imposing must be. accepted in order to finalize the purchase contract.

Last April, Mexico's government accepted buy the power. plants from Iberdrola in a deal worth $6 billion, which. Mexico's president hailed at the time as a brand-new nationalization. for the electrical power market.

The offer remained in big part developed to give Mexico's. state-owned power company Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE). majority control over the regional power market, however in the. If CFE, immediate aftermath of the Cofece judgment it was not clear. might be the plants' sole operator going forward.

Even before the announcement, made by President Andres. Manuel Lopez Obrador flanked by Iberdrola CEO Ignacio Galan, the. large majority of the plants' creating capability was under. contract to be offered to the CFE.

The conditions imposed by the independent regulator will. require the purchasers to operate the power generation plants. individually in the market, and prevent the exchange of sensitive. or strategic details amongst competitors, according to the. statement.

Cofece also stated that the federal government fund involved in. the purchase can not go beyond a 51% stake in the plants. It said. plant supervisors need to abstain from taking tasks with a rival. business, and they can not have served as federal government officials. over the past 4 years.

In a separate declaration, Mexico's financing ministry said. the purchase of the power plants will not grow public financial obligation. beyond the expense of the acquired stake made by the federal government.

(source: Reuters)