EVN workers maintain power facilities. The State-run electricity firm will divest from An Binh Securities to focus on its core business. — Photo ktdt.vn

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — State utility Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN) will auction its entire stake of nearly 29 per cent, or about 11.48 million shares, in An Binh Securities Company on June 4.

The firms said in their online statements that the auction is open to both domestic and foreign investors. The shares have a combined value of some VND114.87 billion (US$5.47 million) and will be bid at an initial price of VND10,000 (48 cents) per share, equivalent to their face value.

EVN management board Chairman Hoang Quoc Vuong said the An Binh stake accounted for 0.08 per cent of the EVN's charter capital of VND143.40 trillion ($6.83 billion). The auction is part of the roadmap of the electricity company to divest from non-core businesses.

Last year, EVN completed divestments from Land Sai Gon and Land Central property companies, and partially withdrew from EVN Finance. It fetched EVN VND691 billion ($32.90 million) after it exited these businesses, finishing about 40.8 per cent of all capital it was supposed to divest following its reorganisation plans.

EVN leaders said the company was determined to totally withdraw from the banking, finance and insurance areas this year – the final year for it to accomplish the 2012-15 restructuring scheme, as required by the Government.

This year, it would complete divestments from An Binh Bank and Global Insurance Company, as well as EVN Finance. It would also reduce its stakes in several mechanical firms, besides submitting a plan to privatise the Power Generation Corporation 3 (Genco 3) to the Ministry of Industry and Trade for consideration.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung asked EVN to become a strong economic group by 2015, and tasked it to accelerate investment in the national grid and regulate the trade of electricity to assure adequate power supply for the nation by 2030.

"Although more and more private investors have taken part in the electricity sector, EVN still plays a decisive role in supplying power for the economy. Thus, its demand for capital will still be great in the coming years," said a joint EVN and An Binh report.

EVN is reportedly building a project to increase labour productivity and enhance production and business efficiency for the next five years, and this scheme is expected to be presented to the prime minister for approval by the end of this year.

The company reported last week that it produced and bought nearly 48 billion kilowatt hours of electricity during the first four months of this year. It spent about VND31.75 trillion ($1.51 billion) on the construction of power facilities during the period.

EVN was the founding shareholder of An Binh when the securities firm was established in 2006. The Ha Noi-based brokerage has VND397 billion ($18.90 million) in equity. — VNS