Support The Moscow Times!

LUKoil Completes First Cash Auction

Giant Russian oil conglomerate LUKoil completed its first auction of shares for cash Thursday and plans to use the funds for oil production and other investment projects, company spokesman Alexander Vasilenko said.


"Applications (to buy shares) are now being gathered and processed. We will probably have the results in two weeks," he said.


The auction included stakes of less than one percent in LUKoil Holding and nine LUKoil divisions.


An official at the NIKoil investment company, which LUKoil appointed to handle the auction, said bids had been taken for the entire offering, including 77,410 shares in the holding company that represented 0.076 percent of charter capital.


The official, Anatoly Darakov, said the maximum price offered for shares in LUKoil Holding was $40.50 and the average $37.65. In Moscow's over-the-counter market, LUKoil Holding shares are quoted at about $40.


The company also offered shares in its main production units, Langepasneftegaz, Urayneftegaz and Kogalymneftegaz.


Darakov said 11,166 shares (0.039 percent) were bid for in Langepasneftegaz (maximum price $12, average $11), 17,888 (0.262 percent) in Urayneftegaz (maximum $10, average $8.21) and 55,769 (0.381 percent) in Kogalymneftegaz (maximum $46.8, average $43.37).


LUKoil's Vasilenko said income from the cash auctions would go to several investment projects.


"There are concrete programs in Kogalym and Langepas, as well as in Azerbaijan," he said. LUKoil has a 10 percent stake in a $7 billion project with a foreign consortium to develop three Caspian Sea fields in Azerbaijan.


Vasilenko said the company also planned to reconstruct its oil refineries in Perm and Volgograd and build a new refinery in Novorossiisk.


The third area for investment was in improving distribution of oil products, with the establishment of a network of petrol stations, he said.


LUKoil is being audited by international consultancy KPMG Peat Marwick ahead of a planned placing of 15 percent of its shares with foreign investors. The independent Russian consultancy AK&M said the company's shares could rise fivefold if it was successful.


Vasilenko said LUKoil Holding would increase its assets with the addition of two new oil and gas enterprises -- Astrakhanneftegaz and Nizhnevolskneft. These firms, currently controlled by state holding company Rosneft, are expected to come under LUKoil's wing under a presidential decree completing the formation of new vertically integrated oil companies

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more