Earlier this month, Eon announced its plans to raise €15bn over three years to pay off debt and fund an expansionary drive outside Europe.

At the time, Johannes Teyssen, the chief executive (pictured), wrote to shareholders:

Our objective is to sharpen Eon’s profile as an international energy specialist and to increase our earnings strength by placing it on a broader, more international foundation.

Just three weeks into that three-year period, the company has already made its first move, selling its 3.5 per cent stake in Gazprom for €3.4bn. Teyssen said today: