MOSCOW, October 25 (Itar-Tass) — The Russian government hopes to privatize a 6% Rosneft stake in 2013, Russian Minister of Economic Development Andrei Belousov said at a meeting of the government on Thursday.
“In 2013 we are planning to effectuate at least another eight privatization deals with the stakes of the major companies. This is primarily Sovcomflot, Bank VTB, ALROSA, Rosneft – a stake of up to six percent, the Arkhangelsk Trawl Fleet, the territorial power generating company number 5, the Sibir Company and Mosenergostroy,” he noted. The minister noted that it is possible to gain a total of 260-270 billion roubles from their sale. Belousov noted that Sovcomflot’s IPO will be mostly significant next year.
“Before the end of this year we are planning to finalize the privatization of several major economic societies, including the Murmansk trade seaport. The Raiffeisen Bank is preparing a deal. The Bank VTB Capital is preparing a deal with the Vanino trade seaport,” he noted. “We believe that the pre-sale preparations of the Novorossiysk trade seaport will be finalized, the Bank UBS is involved in organizing of the sale, but the economy of this asset is not fully clear,” Belousov explained, adding that the relevant analytical survey should be finalized.
The minister noted that the privatization of a 10% RUSNANO stake is possible in case of favourable conditions. The privatization will be executed through an additional emission and a lower state stake in the state-run company, he noted.
The Russian government is also considering the proposals for the privatization of a RZD stake, Belousov said, adding that the Ministry of Economic Development and the experts are discussing the approaches to the privatization regarding the United Grain Company and the Russian Association of the Leasing Companies (Rosleasing) with due account of the role of these companies in the agrarian and industrial sector.
The minister of economic development noted that in 2012 the Russian state authorities are planning to sell the state property to the tune of 223 billion roubles, “218 billion roubles from this sum are to be transferred from the sale of major assets.” However, the minister noted that “the most important thing is not these figures, but the changes in the quality of sales.” Belousov recalled that since 2011 “we have launched the so-called sweeping privatization, particularly large-scale privatization projects with due account of the conventional international practice.” If in 2011 only two such projects were implemented that is the sale of a 10% stake of the VTB Bank and the sale of a stake in the publishing house Prosveshcheniye (Enlightenment), four deals are already finalized this year, particularly the sale of a 7.6% stake of the Russian savings bank Sberbank, a 20% stake of the joint stock company Apatit, the sale of the full stock in SG-Trans and the sale of the United Grain Company.