Turkish owners of Malta Freeport bidding for power station

Turkish owned Yildirim Holding AS, one of the 11 shortlisted bidders for the new gas infrastructure, already owns 50 per cent of Malta Freeport.

Yildirim bought the shares from CMA CGM for €200 million in 2012. The Maltese government and Malta Freeport Corporation approved the transfer in November 2011.

In 2004, CMA CGM received a 30-year concession from the government to operate Malta Freeport, extended in 2008 to 65 years.

In January 2013, tycoon Robert Yuksel Yildirim announced it was almost high time to put the $2 billion (USD) portfolios of maritime assets up for sale to foreign investors.

"With Yilport Gebze, Yilport Gemlik, Malta Freeport (Malta) and RotaPort, we have managed to reach a portfolio value of $2 billion," Yildirim said, adding that he was looking to sell off assets in about five years.

"We will be in an admirable position in five years," he said.

Yildirim Energy Investments was established by Yildirim Group in 2010 to enact power plant investments in Turkey, the Balkan ex-Soviet republics, Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Far East and China, covering a wide portfolio of renewable energy, thermal and nuclear power plants. It provides power supplies to industry, business centres and residences as well.

The company website states that its focal projects are plants for thermal power, wind power, hydroelectric power, biomass thermal power, solar power and nuclear power.

Yildirim Energy performs fuel transportation and fuel handling in house.