E.ON has not decided yet whether to sell or not their energy supply business in Romania and even if they decide so, the deal is subject to approval from local authorities, energy minister Sebastian Burduja said, commenting on rumors about Hungary's MVM as a potential buyer.

He stressed that the potential deal, if completed, only involves the energy supply business (electricity and natural gas), not the distribution infrastructure.

"I talked with the management of E.ON. They said that they have not even made a decision whether to sell or not," minister Burduja said after the government meeting on October 2, quoted by Agerpres.

He said that the information circulated by the media is premature.

"We will certainly analyse any transaction very carefully, both we and the Competition Council, the Commission for Foreign Direct Investments, if applicable, or other institutions of the Romanian state. (...) Let's get there, and we'll see," answered the minister of energy.

The Hungarian company MVM, majority controlled by the state, has reportedly reached an agreement to buy the gas and electricity supply division operated in Romania by the German group E.ON, according to sources familiar with the negotiations consulted by G4media.ro and Economedia.ro. The parties involved avoided or were not available for comments.

The German company told Economedia.ro in March that it was doing a "strategic review of the business."

The deal, which also needs the approval of some institutions of the Romanian state, is expected to be announced in a few months. Romgaz and OMV Petrom were also interested in buying E. ON's supply division.

E.ON Energie Romania, a member of the German E.ON Group, is one of the largest gas and electricity suppliers in Romania, with a portfolio of around 3.4 million customers.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Sebastian Burduja)