FACTBOX-Major foreign investments in Bulgaria

July 1 (Reuters) - Bulgaria has attracted 24 billion euros
in foreign direct investment since 2005, when the Socialist-led
government came to power, but the global crisis has hit the
flows and put an end to the credit-fueled economic boom.

Economists say Bulgaria is now paying the price for not
using the boom to boost productivity and encourage exports. Here
are capital flows went and some major investments since 2005:
(in million euros)

2005 2006 2007 2008 2005-08
REAL ESTATE DEALS 533.8 1,778.0 2,505.1 1,900.3 6,717.2
FINANCIAL SERVICES 667.3 799.4 2,112.5 1,485.9 5,065.1
PROCESSING INDUSTRY 868.2 1,064.7 906.2 810.9 3,650.0
RETAIL 576.9 964.5 1,237.4 796.9 3,575.7
CONSTRUCTION 171.6 501.0 797.4 465.0 1,935.0
ENERGY 308.5 352.4 332.5 176.2 1,169.6

AES

U.S. energy company AES Corp. (AES.N) in 2006 launched
construction of a $1.4 billion coal-fired power plant, the
largest investment in Bulgaria since the fall of communism in
1989.AES is also building a 270 million euro wind park.

ENEL

In 2003, Italian utility Enel (ENEI.MI) started a 700
million overhaul of Bulgaria's thermal power plant Maritsa East
Three, which was completed earlier this year.

Enel holds a 73 percent stake in the coal-fired plant.

AURUBIS

Germany's copper producer Aurubis (NAFG.DE) has invested 80
million euros since 2006 in its plant in the town of Pirdop, the
second biggest in the group.

The smelter was initially owned by Belgium's Cumerio which
was taken over by Norddeutsche Affinerie in 2008. The new group
then changed its name to Aurubis to reflect the expansion.

GREAT WALL

China's largest sport utility vehicle maker, Great Wall
Motor Co (2333.HK), has started building an 80 million euro car
plant in a joint venture with Bulgaria's Litex.

Litex said investment in the project, which will employ some
1,300 people, would reach a total of 300 million euros at a
later stage.

KBC

In 2007, Belgian banking and insurance group KBC (KBC.BR)
acquired 75 percent of Bulgaria's EIBank, ninth-largest bank in
terms of assets in the country at the time, in a 295 million
euro deal.

ALLIED IRISH BANKS

Allied Irish Banks (ALBK.I) bought 49.99 percent of
specialist business lender Bulgarian-American Credit Bank (BACB)
for 216 million euros in 2008.

OMAN FUND

The Oman State General Reserve Fund, which is one of the key
investment institutions of the government of the Sultan of Oman,
paid 185.4 million levs for a 30 percent stake in Bulgaria's
Corporate Commercial Bank CORP.BB earlier this year.

SOURCES: The Bulgarian National Bank (www.bnb.bg); the state
investment agency (www.investbg.government.bg), Reuters
(Reporting by Irina Ivanova)