CEZ and MOL, two of the most important players on the Central European energy market, opened discussions for a strategic alliance, designed to help the companies expand to markets in the South-Eastern and Central Europe, a MOL press release informs on Friday.

The first step is to commonly build and operate thermal and electric plants which would function on residual components from the MOL refineries in the Slovakian capital, Bratislava, and the Hungarian city of Szazhalombatta.

Within the partnership, CEZ will soon buy 10% of the MOL shares. A share exchange is not yet taken into account.

The two companies had a total profit in H1 2007 of 3 billion euros.