"A sale via the capital market is the main alternative for Germany to re-privatize Uniper," writes Germany's Finance Ministry in a press release.
Rescued from collapse
Uniper was rescued from financial collapse with state funds almost two years ago.
The Ministry adds in its statement that a sale "off market" - i.e. directly to another owner - may also become relevant, and that no final decision has been made on when and how the divestment of the state's ownership in the company will take place.
Germany has committed to reducing its ownership to a maximum of 25 percent plus one share in Uniper by 2028 at the latest, according to an agreement with the EU Commission.
Germany has owned around 99 percent of Uniper's shares since the nationalization over two years ago. The company was rescued with state funds during the energy crisis that followed Russia's reduction of gas supplies to the EU in the wake of the full-scale attack on Ukraine.
Largest importer of Russian gas
Uniper was Germany's largest importer of Russian gas when the gas tap was turned off. To fulfill its delivery commitments, the company was forced to buy gas from alternative suppliers, which quickly became too expensive to do without state support.
The revenue from a sale or stock market listing of Uniper would be a welcome contribution for the financially strained German government, whose 2025 budget has a deficit of 12 billion euros.
Uniper's management welcomed the government's announcement and said they are cooperating with the German state to get everything in place for privatization.
