Dutch province still undecided on RWE-Essent deal

AMSTERDAM, May 13 (Reuters) - The government of Dutch province North Brabant has delayed a decision to allow German utility RWE to buy part of Dutch utility Essent, saying it wants to reply to a vote against the deal by its parliament.

The province is the biggest shareholder in Essent and its parliament narrowly voted against the planned purchase last month. The government of North Brabant can take the vote into consideration but has the final decision on the matter. [ID:nLO001954]

A province spokeswoman said on Wednesday the government will respond to the nonbinding vote by its parliament before it makes a final decision on the deal.

With a 30.8 percent stake in Essent, North Brabant is the biggest stakeholder in the Dutch utility and could block the 8.2 billion euro ($11.2 billion) deal, which requires 80 percent shareholder approval.

Its government had been due to make a final decision on Tuesday after its parliament narrowly voted against the deal by 28 to 26 votes on April 24.

"A decision has not been made yet and the government is preparing a reaction to all the arguments made by our parliament," a spokeswoman for the province said.

Some members of the provincial parliament are concerned that the deal lacks sufficient guarantees that German utility RWE (RWEG.DE) will pursue a sustainable energy strategy.

On Tuesday, RWE said it had signed a binding agreement with Essent for billions of euros of sustainable energy investments in the Netherlands.

North Brabant's parliament is due to convene again on Friday to discuss Essent's future strategy, but the spokeswoman declined to say when the government is likely to make a final decision.

Other major stakeholders' parliaments have voted in favour of the deal. The provincial government of Limburg, which has a 16 percent stake in Essent, said it approved the deal on Tuesday. (Reporting by Catherine Hornby; Editing by Guy Dresser)