/ Source: The Associated Press
The world’s biggest natural-gas producer, Gazprom, has agreed to purchase the Sibneft oil company for $13.01 billion, the companies announced Wednesday.
The deal will significantly further state-controlled Gazprom’s stature in the oil sector as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin moves to recapture state influence in the lucrative energy industry.
The companies said a deal had been struck between Gazprom and Sibneft’s owner, Millhouse Capital, a holding company controlled by billionaire Chelsea soccer club owner Roman Abramovich.
Western banks are reportedly ready to offer a $12 billion loan to fund the deal — the largest such loan in Russia’s post-Soviet history.