German utility RWE AG (RWE.XE) is considering selling its stake in uranium enrichment company Urenco, which it owns jointly with E.ON AG (EOAN.XE) as well as the U.K. and Dutch governments, the Daily Telegraph reported at the weekend.

The U.K. government and the Dutch government each own one-third of Urenco, with RWE and E.ON splitting the remainder.

An RWE spokeswoman declined to comment on the report to Dow Jones Newswires.

The U.K. has also considered an exit from the company, but any plans to do so were put on hold after the nuclear disaster in Japan earlier this year, the article said, adding that a sale of the company is to be launched in October.

"The government is currently assessing its options with regard to the U.K. 's stake in Urenco," the U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change was quoted as saying.

Any sale is likely to be complicated since it would require the consent of other shareholders and a tripartite committee. For example, in the U.K,. a sale would have to satisfy national security concerns about nuclear enrichment, it added.

Urenco has said it corners 27% of the global market for enriched uranium. In 2010, the company's net profit was EUR387.1 million on sales of nearly EUR1.3 billion.

In August, RWE said it plans to sell assets worth EUR11 billion by 2013 to bolster earnings and cashflow.

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