Energy companies: Brookfield and CPPIB probably in the next round for Uniper purchase

London. According to insiders, several bidders have moved on to the next round in the planned sale of the nationalized energy company Uniper. A consortium of Canadian investors Brookfield and CPPIB are among the interested parties selected for the next phase in the sale process, three people familiar with the process told Reuters.

In addition, the Norwegian energy company Equinor and a consortium made up of the US financial investor KKR and the Essen utility RWE have moved on to the next round. However, according to an insider, the EPH holding company of the Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky was not invited back.

The remaining interested parties would now have to submit binding offers for Uniper, said two of the insiders. They were informed of the decision on Friday. The bidders submitted non-binding offers in September. The Federal Ministry of Finance, which manages the federal holding of 99.12 percent in Uniper, and EPH could not initially be reached for comment. Spokespeople for the Brookfield consortium as well as Equinor, KKR and RWE declined to comment.

The federal government wants to reduce its share in Germany's largest gas importer to a blocking minority. This should happen either through a sale to a strategic or financial investor or through a placement of shares on the stock exchange. Including net liquidity, Uniper could be valued at up to 14 billion euros in the transaction.