Centrica plc announced net debt results at the end of April 2013. At the end of April net debt stood at £4.0 billion. The company provided group earnings guidance for the fiscal year 2013. For the year 2013, the company announced the group’s interest charge is expected to be around £230 million, reflecting the amendment to the IAS19 accounting standard, which increases non-cash pension charges. Based on current pre-tax profit expectations, the group’s effective tax rate for the full year is expected to be around 46%, reflecting the higher proportion of operating profit from the company's upstream gas and oil business.

The offers for Bord Gáis Energy Trading Limited (BGE) will be due in late June 2013. The memorandum will be circulated to interested parties. The sale tag is likely to be around €1 billion. Sunday Business Post reported that JP Morgan is handling the sale, with interested parties believed to include CVC Capital Partners Limited, Macquarie Group Limited (ASX:MQG) and Paul Hastings LLP. A number of parties are interested in buying BGE. Royal Bank of Canada is also advising BGE on the sale process. Centrica plc (LSE:CNA) is being advised by Goodbody Corporate Finance to represent it in the bidding process, while GDF Suez S.A. (ENXTPA:GSZ) has also recently emerged as a likely bidder. SSE plc (LSE:SSE) and Iberdrola SA (CATS:IBE) are also believed to be interested. Barclays Capital PLC is advising NewERA on the sale of BGE. Some sources familiar with the process said security of supply would be high on the government's agenda, which may weaken the hand of interested private equity players. Competition in the market will also be an important consideration.

The bids for the first round for Bord Gáis Energy Trading Limited are likely to be made in coming weeks as the State moves to sell the company as part of an asset disposal programme agreed with the EU/IMF troika. Michael G O' Sullivan, Finance Director of Bord Gáis, confirmed that it will be issuing an information memorandum, detailing what exactly is up for sale, to likely suitors by the end of this month. That will mark the formal beginning of a sales process that both the group itself and its shareholder, the Government, hope will be completed at some point later this year. According to reports, E.ON SE (DB:EOAN), GDF Suez S.A. (ENXTPA:GSZ) and Centrica plc (LSE:CNA) have all been named as bidders for Bord Gáis with a price tag of approximately €1 billion. O'Sullivan did not speculate about possible bidders' identity, but said that he expected that it would be a mix of industry players and possibly private equity funds. O'Sullivan added that there were "no surprises" on the list of those who had expressed an interest in buying the business. Pat Rabbitte, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources of Ireland said that he expected the sale to begin in the coming weeks.