25 Aug 2022 13:05

Fortum sees interest in Russian assets from potential buyers - CEO

MOSCOW. Aug 25 (Interfax) - Finnish energy company Fortum sees interest in its Russian assets on the part of potential buyers, president and CEO Markus Rauramo said during a conference call with analysts.

Completing the exit process from the Russian assets is one of the company's main priorities in the near future, according to Fortum's presentation to investors.

As part of its financial statement for the first half of 2022, Fortum earlier on Thursday said that it was still "pursuing a controlled exit from the Russian market with a potential divestment of the operations as the preferred path."

The company is assessing the possible implications of the latest Russian legislation that prohibits investors from so-called unfriendly countries from effecting sale-and-purchase transactions with stakes in strategic companies, including in the energy sector.

Fortum also recalled that it has suspended new investment in Russia, so the fate of wind power projects with capacity totaling 1.9 GW remains unclear at this time.