Aluminum maker Alro Slatina (ALR), controlled by Russian group Vimetco, supports the idea of desecretizing the energy procurement contract concluded with Hidroelectrica, but this will place it at a disadvantage compared to its competitors, Marian Năstase, the company's vice-president of the board said yesterday. "We would agree to make the contract with Hidroelectrica public, but not to put it on the internet. We are on a competitive market for aluminum makers. This practice of putting commercial contracts on the internet isn't used anywhere in the world. This disclosure will affect us. The question is who will pay for those damages? We have remitted the contract with Hidroelectrica to all the Romanian and international authorities who asked to see it, including to the European Commission. We are willing to make it available to the IMF as well".

Marian Năstase also said that Alro is in advanced negotiations with Hidroelectrica and that the price of electricity is directly correlated with that of aluminum on the metal exchange of London.

The management of Alro is flexible when it comes to renegotiating the price of energy bought from Hidroelectrica, but less so when it comes to reducing the volumes of electricity, Marian Năstase said, and he went on to say: "I think that there are constructive talks (ed. note: those with Hidroelectrica.). The nature of Alro prevents it from reducing its volume of electricity. Any reduction in the amount of electricity leads to a drop in output. I think that industrial consumers need to be treated differently than the others. Industrial consumers, through the way they are organized, have a different profile. We do not want to be treated differently. For us, energy is a commodity. We are willing to renegotiate prices and take on more risk".

The IMF has set a short deadline by which the bilateral contracts of Hidroelect