Lukoil of Russia will not bid for the Czech state's 63% stake in Unipetrol, Reuters reported on Friday. Among the major potential buyers are Austrian OMV, the Hungarian Mol, and PKN Orlen of Poland. The Czech government plans to begin the Unipetrol privatization process in October, in an effort to sell its stake by April next year.
The news is negative as Russian companies were generally expected to compete in a bidding tender for Unipetrol.
Jiří Soustružník