The state stepped in to save the ailing company from the gas crisis. But in the long term, the company wants to become independent again. Is this possible?
The energy group Uniper, which was nationalized in the wake of the gas crisis, is to be privatized again as soon as possible, according to the will of the board of directors. “Our goal is to return Uniper to predominantly private hands as an independent company as quickly as possible,” said CFO Jutta Dönges at the Annual General Meeting on Wednesday. This goal is one of the “essential guidelines” in the current review of the future strategy. Uniper wants to present an update of the strategy in the summer.
Dönges recalled the federal government’s commitment to the European Union to show a way to reduce its stake in Uniper to 25 percent plus 1 share by the end of 2023. “We will present our ideas on this in the coming months.”
Dönges said that as managing director of the federal finance agency, she was involved in many company rescues. “And I’ve seen that the path back to independence can succeed after successful stabilization.” Uniper will also do this. She is therefore stepping up to guide Uniper through this phase with her colleagues once it has stabilized and to help it become successful again. “This also means making our company ready for the capital market again and thus giving the federal government the opportunity to hand Uniper back into private hands in the future.”
Source: Stern
