PRESS RELEASE - ALPINE Bau Gmbh

PRESS RELEASE
Salzburg, 2006-03-21
Alpine: Tunnel ground-breaking ceremony in Bulgaria attended by
prominent politicians and economic experts
The ground-breaking ceremony for the Teodora Tunnel was attended by Vice
Chancellor Hubert Gorbach and the Bulgarian Minister of Commerce, Rumen
Ovcharov. The tunnel is part of the largest construction project in Eastern Europe - the
Tsankov Kamak hydropower station.
Salzburg/Vienna/Tsankov Kamak. Alpine extended the invitation to the groundbreaking
ceremony for the Teodora Tunnel during the Austrian/Bulgarian Economic
Forum on March 15. The Austrian delegation headed by the Infrastructure Minister
and Vice Chancellor, Hubert Gorbach, the Bulgarian Minister of Commerce, Rumen
Ovcharov, whose daughter Teodora the tunnel is named after, as well as
representatives from Alpine Mayreder / Alpine Bulgaria met at Eastern Europe's
biggest construction site for the event.
The 970 m tunnel is part of the Tsankov Kamak hydropower station, to be completed
by the Alpine Group by 2009. The 216-million-euro project, built by Austria's second
largest construction group, is a showpiece scheme for bilateral climate protection.
The joint implementation mechanism will allow Austria to "save" one million tons of
CO2 through the sale of emission certificates to achieve the Kyoto targets.
A festive reception was held for the guests of honor at the Hotel Orpheus following
the ground-breaking ceremony. The prominent guests included:
Teodora Ovcharova, the tunnel's "godmother"
Rumen Ovcharov, Bulgarian Minister of Commerce and Energy
Ramadan Byram Atalay, Chairman of the Energy Committee
Valentin Ivanov, Vice Minister of Commerce and Energy
Lubomir Velkov, Director General of the national Bulgarian power company
Mardik Papazyan, Director of the national Bulgarian power company
Nikolai Valkanov, Director and co-owner of Alpine Bulgaria
Dietmar Aluta-Oltyan, Co-owner of Alpine Mayreder and Alpine Bulgaria

Siegfried Müller, Managing Director of Alpine-Mayreder and Director of Alpine
Bulgaria
Dimitar Palagachev, Governor – Smoljan
The Alpine Group
The Alpine Group is a global player. With a sales volume of nearly EUR 2 billion and a
staff of approximately 9,000, the Alpine Group is the second largest construction
group in Austria. It was able to more than double its construction volume during the
last six years, financed by the enterprise's own earning power.
(Caption)
From left to right: Siegfried Müller (ALPINE Managing Director), Hubert Gorbach
(Transport Minister), Rumen Ovcharov (Bulgarian Minister for Commerce and
Energy), Teodora Ovcharova (the tunnel's "godmother")
Questions: Mag. Karin Keglevich
Special Public Affairs PR Beratung und Lobbying GmbH
Goldschmiedgasse 8/8, 1010 Vienna
Tel. +43-1/532 25 45-0, Fax +43-1/532 25 46
Email: keglevich@spa.co.at