“The NIS group made an offer to take over the Romanian gas station network,” Tuesday said Saduokhas Meraliyev, Rompetrol chief executive officer, adding they have declined the offer.
The offer’s value was not mentioned.
In his turn, Rompetrol vice-president for retail Titov Buzescu said the group evaluates its gas station network at EUR500-600 million.
Buzescu added Gazprom is already active on the Romanian gas station segment through the Sun Petrol units.
Rompetrol representatives added the NIS offer points to Gazprom’s intention to expand in the region.
The Rompetrol group is owned by Kazakh state-owned KazMunayGas. It is Romania’s second-largest fuel distributor, with a network of 800 fueling points, including 450 gas stations. OMV Petrom (SNP.RO) is the largest local player.
Rompetrol plans to open an office in Istanbul within two months, and expand fuel distribution activities to Turkey and Ukraine. The group also holds gas stations in France, Bulgaria, Moldova and Georgia.
(English version by Andrei Circhelan; Editing by Bogdan Neagu)