KASSEL/BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - BASF subsidiary Wintershall Dea intends to sell its 50 percent stake in gas network operator Wiga to the German government. To this end, the Kassel-based oil and gas company has concluded a contract with Securing Energy for Europe GmbH (Sefe), as it announced on Tuesday. The group, formerly Gazprom Germania, which was nationalized during the energy crisis, already owns almost 50 percent of the pipeline operator. The transaction is still subject to approval by the European Commission and is expected to be completed in the summer. Both companies have agreed not to disclose the purchase price, said a BASF spokesperson.

Wiga is active in the gas transportation business; the operationally independent subsidiaries operate high-pressure pipeline systems, including the transportation network of Gascade and NEL. The pipelines were originally used to distribute Russian gas in Germany. In future, they will play a central role in the development of the hydrogen economy./mne/stw/he