RWE buys 3% more in M31, lifts its Amprion stake to about 58%

Sept 16 (Reuters) - RWE, Germany's biggest power producer, said on Wednesday it had bought an additional 3% stake in M31, which holds around three-quarters of shares in transmission system operator Amprion.

With the acquisition, RWE's pro-rata stake in Amprion will increase to about 58%, making it the majority shareholder of M31, RWE said. 

Here are more details:

• RWE said Amprion will remain an independent transmission operator, adding that it will consolidate its stake in Amprion at equity.

• Sources told Reuters earlier this year that Amprion's major owners were considering selling their stakes to new investors.

• In July, Germany's Federal Cartel Office approved RWE's acquisition of about 47% of shares in M31.

• M31's shareholders include MEAG Munich Ergo, which is Munich Re's asset management arm, along with Swiss Life, Talanx, insurer Versicherungskammer and Commerzbank's Commerz Real.

(Reporting by Gnaneshwar Rajan in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas)