FRANKFURT/HELSINKI/BERLIN—The German government stepped in to rescue Uniper with a 15 billion euro ($15.28 billion) bailout on Friday after the gas importer became the biggest casualty of Europe’s energy standoff with Russia so far.
Under a bailout that is among the biggest in German corporate history, the government will take a 30 percent stake in Uniper, reducing the ownership of its Finnish parent Fortum to 56 percent from nearly 80 percent after weeks of tough negotiations.
It will also allow Uniper to start passing on some of the costs of soaring gas prices to consumers in the coming months, which German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said would be offset by more welfare support to shield poorer households….