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"The interested parties have sought an extension. It will be
granted with the deadline sometime in February. That date has
not yet been set," the source said, requesting anonymity.
The current deadline is Dec. 22.
HRADF had earlier identified the two investor groups qualified
to proceed to the next phase of the tender - and the submission
of binding bids - as Spain's Regasificadora del Noroeste (Reganosa)
and a consortium of Italy's Snam <SRG.MI>, Spain's Enagas
Internacional, Belgium's Fluxys <FLUX.BR> and Dutch Gasunie.
The asset sale is part of a privatization program undertaken by
Greece under the terms of its multi-billion euro bailout.
Based on an updated draft of key targets of the bailout
programme, the nomination of the preferred bidder is to be
completed by Feb. 2018. A share purchase agreement and
shareholders' agreement is to be signed by April, and a
conclusion by June 2018.
DESFA owns and operates Greece's natural gas network and a
liquefied natural gas terminal offshore, west of the Greek
capital Athens.
Greece’s privatization agency holds 65 percent in DESFA and
Hellenic Petroleum owns the rest. Under the deal, Hellenic
Petroleum is selling its 35 percent stake in DESFA and Greece is
divesting the rest.
It transports gas from the Greek-Bulgarian and Greek-Turkish
borders to Greek consumers via a 1,459-km (907-mile) pipeline.
(Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas; writing by Michele Kambas;
editing by Mark Heinrich; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
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