BERLIN, Sept 19 Reuters The German government is examining all options to exit Uniper, which it bailed out during the energy crisis triggered by Russia39;s invasion of Ukraine, including a possible sale via the capital market, the Finance Ministry said on Thursday.

So far, no final decision has been made regarding the timing and form of a potential transaction, the ministry statement said.

We conclude that a sale via the capital market is the key option for Germany to reprivatise Uniper. In addition, Germany is also considering offmarket sale options depending on their validity, it added.

Expectations for a reprivatisation as early as next year grew in August when Uniper boosted provisions, putting it on track to repay about 3.8 billion of state aid.

In 2022, the German government pumped 13.5 billion euros into Uniper to save what was then Germany39;s biggest importer of Russian gas from collapse.

Berlin has since been Uniper39;s majority shareholder with a stake of over 99, but it has agreed with the European Commission to reduce its stake to a maximum of 25 plus one share by 2028.

Reporting by Christian Kraemer, Writing by Rachel More, Editing by Madeline Chambers

Source Reuters