Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, he expressed relief at having eliminated the heavy burden of debt and said they will be more careful from now on in avoiding incurring such a high debt. In the coming period, Başkent will focus on growing with new investments to improve infrastructure, Gündüz added.
A tender to privatize the remaining 20 percent of Başkent Doğalgaz Dağıtım A.Ş. is expected to be undertaken before the end of the year. The Energy Ministry was planning to utilize part of the revenue earned from the tender to pay off the company’s debt to BOTAŞ and to transfer the remaining funds to the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality. The privatization of 80 percent of Başkent Doğalgaz was completed earlier this year.
As regards investments in infrastructure for 2010, he mentioned plans to bring natural gas to Ankara’s relatively deprived regions of Gölbaşı, Akyurt, Elmadağ and Kazan. Nearly 80 percent of Ankara’s periphery has natural gas, Gündüz said, adding that new lines are being installed while old ones are being upgraded.
