Italgas will resort to a capital increase of about 1 billion euros to help finance the acquisition of 2i Rete Gas, for which it is expected to submit a binding offer in the coming weeks.

Sole 24 Ore writes this, pointing out that Cdp Reti, which has 25.99 percent of the company, will participate in the increase pro-rata with 260 million.

According to the newspaper, a final figure for the acquisition of the gas distribution operator is not yet there because no agreement has been reached on the premium to be applied to Rab (4.9 billion), but it will still be more than 5 billion. Italgas has already said it will resort to a bridge loan guaranteed by Jp Morgan to be refinanced through equity, debt or "equity like" instruments.

(Claudia Cristoferi, editing Stefano Bernabei)