Russia holds off raking in profit from state energy holding

MOSCOW/WASHINGTON, April 11 (Reuters) - The Russian government is not planning to take almost all the sizeable profits earned by state energy holding Rosneftegaz as dividends in 2013, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said, contradicting a media report on Friday.

Business daily Vedomosti reported on Friday that the government wants to take 95 percent of Rosneftegaz's 2013 profit as dividends, a plan opposed by the holding's chairman Igor Sechin.

Speaking on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meeting in Washington, Siluanov told reporters the issue had been discussed, but it was off the table for now.

"As far as the transfer (to the budget) of up to 95 percent of Rosneftegaz's profit is concerned, no such measures are foreseen in the budget and we're not examining any such proposals," he said.

The Russian government needs extra funds to shore up the budget and secure the financing of Crimea, a region annexed by Russia from Ukraine in March.

Rosneftegaz controls 69.5 percent in top oil producer Rosneft and almost 11 percent in the world's largest natural gas producer Gazprom (MCX: GAZP.ME - news) .

Vedomosti, citing two unnamed sources, said that Sechin has voiced his opposition to the plan, agreeing only to the payment of 25 percent of profit as dividends since the holding wants to save cash for future acquisitions.

Rosneftegaz made $4.87 billion from BP (LSE: BP.L - news) 's acquisition of Rosneft shares last year as part of a deal to sell Anglo-Russian TNK-BP oil firm to the Russian oil producer. It also secured 78.2 billion roubles ($2.2 billion) from Gazprom's and Rosneft's dividend, Vedomosti said, while net profit came in at around 185.3 billion roubles.

($1 = 35.5008 Russian Roubles) (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin in Moscow and Lidia Kelly in Washington; editing by Keiron Henderson)