Romanian minister says three in race for Lukoil's refinery, state takeover not excluded yet

Three bidders, from Romania, the European Union, and the United States, are interested in buying the local assets of Russian group Lukoil, which include a medium-sized refinery, a filling station chain, and an offshore gas perimeter under exploration, Romanian minister of energy Bogdan Ivan announced, according to Economica.net. There are also bidders interested in a global deal, he added.

Romania was notified several weeks ago, but the contract would be sealed between two private companies, minister Ivan said, implying that the Romanian authorities are not involved. Romania is certainly interested in seeing the deal sealed as soon as possible, he assured.