The shareholders' committee, supervisory board and board of management of Eneco Group arrived at the mutual decision to carry out the privatization of Eneco after months of consultation, the statement read.
'Having weighed the pros and cons of the different privatization options, both Eneco and the shareholders give preference to privatization by means of controlled auction, because this best serves the interests of Eneco and its stakeholders,' it said.
According to the statement, Eneco, together with its shareholders, made substantial progress with the finalization of the preparations for privatization.
'During this stage, agreements have been made with the central works council regarding the council's involvement in the sales process. This preparatory phase will be followed by a transaction phase, the objective of which is to submit an eligible bid from a party, including conditions and commitments, to Eneco's 53 municipal shareholders for approval,' it added.
Commenting on the decision, Eneco Group's CEO Ruud Sondag said: 'We are confident that by entering into a sales process, we will find a new shareholder that is a good match with Eneco. I am pleased that we are united in shaping the future of this wonderful company.'
Adriaan Visser, chairman of the shareholders' committee, added that the shareholding municipalities were pleased that all parties involved were truly ready to enter the process of selling Eneco and had reached an agreement on how this would take place.
'This decision and the agreements made with regard to the further sales process are the result of diligent and combined efforts, taking into account the sustainable strategy and the other interests of all stakeholders. We will proceed in the same manner. Therefore, I am confident that this step will lead to a bright future for Eneco,' he said.
Eneco Group is an autonomous and independent energy company consisting of a number of different brands and business units, each with its own role in the generation, use, storage and distribution of energy.
The statement did not specify when the auction would take place.
By Hale Turkes
Anadolu Agency
energy@aaa.com.tr