Belgium and Spain highlight interest in DESFA stake

Baku. 8 September. REPORT.AZ/ Belgian media has highlighted the interest of European energy firms in acquiring a 17 percent of DESFA, Greece’s natural gas grid operator, Report informs referring to foreign media 

Belgian company Fluxys is one of the European companies believed to be interested in acquiring the 17 percent share in DESFA expected to be surrendered by Socar, which had originally agreed, two years ago, to purchase a 66 percent equity share before the European Commission intervened, presumably over EU energy security and competition concerns.

Two Italian firms, Snam and Infrastrutture Transporto Gas, Spain’s Enagas – which holds a 16 percent stake in the TAP (Trans Adriatic Pipeline) consortium – Dutch company Gasunie, and Romania’s Transga were also named as being interested in a 17 percent stake of DESFA, Belgian media reports.

Belgian national investment fund SFPI (Societe Federale de Participations et d’Investissement), which holds a 2.1 percent stake in Fluxys, may take part in the deal with an amount of roughly 30 million euros, which would provide the fund with a DESFA equity share of nearly 5 percent in the overall 17 percent acquisition.

Fluxys’s role in DESFA would be restricted to industrial and managerial cooperation with the Greek gas grid operator.