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BERLIN (Reuters) -The leading option for the re-privatisation of Uniper is to sell the bailed-out energy company’s shares via the equity market, the German finance ministry said on Thursday, adding that the government was examining all scenarios to reduce its stake.
“So far, no final decision has been made regarding the timing and form of a potential transaction,” the ministry said in a statement.
“We conclude that a sale via the capital market is the key option for Germany to re-privatise Uniper. In addition, Germany is also considering off-market sale options depending on their validity,” it added.
Uniper said it welcomed the ministry’s announcement, in particular on the possible sale of its stake on the open market.
“We are ready for this step and will work closely with the German state to progress all necessary preparation,” a company spokesperson said.
Expectations for a re-privatisation as early as next year grew in August when Uniper boosted provisions, putting it on track to repay about $3.8 billion of state aid.
The German government pumped 13.5 billion euros into Uniper in 2022, to save what was then Germany’s biggest importer of Russian gas from collapse.
Berlin has since been Uniper’s majority shareholder with a stake of over 99%, but it has agreed with the European Commission to reduce that to a maximum of 25% plus one share by 2028.
(Reporting by Christian Kraemer in Berlin and Christoph Steitz in Frankfurt, Writing by Rachel More, Editing by Madeline Chambers, Kirsten Donovan)