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GREF WANTS GOVERNMENT TO APPEAL POWER PLANT NATIONALIZATION

MOSCOW, April 30 (RIA Novosti) - German Gref, the economic development and trade minister, proposed that the government appeal the decision of the East Siberian District Federal Arbitration Court to nationalize the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station, a source close to the government told RIA Novosti on Friday.

According to the source, Mr. Gref sent a letter with such a proposal to Mikhail Fradkov, the prime minister.

In his letter Mr. Gref proposed that the government consider lodging a supervisory complaint against the decision of the lower level court in a higher arbitration court.

"The Property Relations Ministry was a defendant in this case. Because of this, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade believes that it is expedient to file an appeal against this decision on behalf of the government," the source said.

The arbitration court in Irkutsk, acting on the lawsuit filed by the government of Khakasia, ruled that the privatization of the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric station deal in 1994 was invalid. According to this decision, the station, which now belongs to Russia's Unified Energy Systems must be returned to the state.

This week, Alexander Zhukov, the deputy prime minister, sent instructions to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade to consider the situation and to prepare a mechanism for nationalizing the hydroelectric power station.