Reuters: Germany is considering selling all of Uniper – This is a potential buyer

The German state may sell Uniper completely, sources of the Reuters news agency say.

According to Reuters, the German state’s options are still to reduce ownership of the company or relist the energy company on the stock exchange, but the state is also considering the sale of the entire company as one option.

The German state currently owns more than 99 percent of Uniper. In connection with the nationalization of Uniper, Germany committed to reducing its holding in the company to a maximum of 25 percent plus one share by 2028, based on an agreement with the European Commission.

According to Reuters, one possible buyer for Uniper is a Canadian real estate exchange company Brookfield. The German Finance Ministry tells Reuters that all options are on the table. According to the ministry, the primary option is to lighten holdings through the stock exchange. Representatives of Uniper and Brookfield did not comment on the Reuters information.

Uniper’s value is currently 18.4 billion euros. According to Reuters, however, Uniper could be bought at a discount on the stock exchange, as the freely exchangeable stock would not necessarily properly reflect the energy company’s true value.

Reuters is told that the sale of Uniper would require the parliament to pass a law that would allow Uniper to pay dividends to its shareholders again.

The German government has been told to map out their options to reduce their holdings In Uniper.

Previously, Uniper was known as a Finnish energy company Fortum’s as a subsidiary. In the fall of 2022, Fortum sold its entire Uniper holding to the German state, eventually clearing losses of around six billion euros from its Uniper adventure.

In 2022, the German government pumped 13.5 billion euros into Uniper to save Germany’s then largest importer of Russian gas from collapse. The rescue operation was one of the largest in German corporate history.

Uniper ran into difficulties after Russia started a war of aggression in Ukraine in the spring of 2022. The price of energy rose sharply, as a result of which Uniper had to buy gas from the market at an expensive price at the same time that the company had contracted to sell it to its customers at a lower price.