FRANKFURT/PRAGUE (Reuters) – Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky is among potential suitors that have been approached by Berlin about a purchase of German state-owned utility Uniper, three people familiar with the matter said.
Berlin is currently exploring a divestment of its 99.12% stake in Uniper, which had to be nationalised during Europe’s energy crisis in 2022, with options ranging from a partial to a full sale of its holding, sources have said.
A sale of Uniper, which is currently valued at 19 billion euros ($19.6 billion) but is likely to be divested at a discount, could become one of Europe’s biggest deals in 2025.
Czech energy holding company EPH, which is majority-owned by Kretinsky’s investment vehicle EPCG, is “part of the process”, one of the sources said, declining to be identified because the talks are confidential.
EPH and Uniper both declined to comment.
Germany’s Finance Ministry, which oversees Berlin’s stake, had no immediate comment.
($1 = 0.9699 euros)
(Reporting by Christoph Steitz, Emma-Victoria Farr and Jan Lopatka; Additional reporting by Andres Gonzalez and Christian Kraemer, Editing by Miranda Murray)
