Via its Capenergie funds, Omnes Capital has sold a European portfolio of more than 100 MW of renewable energy assets to EOS Holding, a Swiss player in the new renewable energy sector. This acquisition will enable EOS Holding to increase its capacity in renewables, particularly at the level of ground-mounted solar power plants.
Having been present in the sector since 2006, Omnes Capital has become a key player with more than €600 million in assets under management and 1.5 GW of power generation capacity deployed alongside companies in the sector.
The portfolio sold by Omnes Capital consists of four wind farms and four solar power plants located in France and Portugal. It was built up between 2010 and 2013 and is a good example of the Capenergie funds’ investment approach, which consists of developing new renewable energy generation capacity in partnership with independent power producers. Once built and in operation, these projects are grouped into critical-sized portfolios and sold to third-party investors.
The four wind farms developed alongside Valorem are located in the Picardy, Burgundy and Poitou-Charentes regions of France and represent a total capacity of around 50MW.
The four solar power plants, located in Portugal and in the Aquitaine region of France, were developed with Neoen, Fonroche and Valorem, representing a total generation capacity of 60 MW. They include in particular part of the Cestas solar power plant – Europe’s largest solar power plant with an installed capacity of 300 MW – as well as the Bétout plant, which won the French Energy Regulation Commission’s first solar power call for tenders. The plant is emblematic of France’s know-how in solar power, particularly by means of the use of Exosun solar tracking systems.
Serge Savasta, Managing Director at Omnes Capital, comments: “For the last 10 years, we have been a strategic partner of independent power producers in Europe by helping them to develop new generation capacity. This transaction is a good illustration of this approach: it is the result of several years of work during which we supported our partners in the development, financing, construction and implementation of these power generation assets. With these projects now in operation, this objective has been achieved and we are happy to be passing the baton to EOS Holding, a very experienced actor which whom it has been a pleasure to work.”
Seller’s advisors
M&A: BNP Paribas (R. Marçais, Y. Bournand)
Legal: Clifford Chance (M. Remy, X. Petet) and Labisa (Lisbon) (A. Labisa, M. Joao Lopes)
Finance: KPMG (W. Lauriano do Rego, M. Benarosch)
Tax: CJA (M. Oussedrat, M-J. Leroy)
Wind expert: DNVGL (A. Thomé, C. Hochart); Solar expert: kilowattsol (X. Daval, B. Ferrier)
Buyer’s advisors
M&A: KPMG Corporate Finance (A. Scholtz, J.-C. Pesser)
Legal: Orrick Rambaud Martel (G. Rigo, G. Rodriguez-Bacarreza) and Albuquerque (A. Raimundo)
Finance: KPMG Transaction Services (Zurich) (S. Peyer, C. Bobol)
Tax: Fidal (A. Badinier, D. Mohier)
Wind expert: Natural Power (T. Ripoche, B. Durand); Solar expert: 3 E (J. Crotteux, A. Irissou)
About Omnes Capital
Omnes Capital is a major private equity and infrastructure investment player. With €2.1 billion under management, Omnes Capital provides businesses with the equity they need to develop in its key areas of expertise: growth capital and buyouts, private debt, venture capital, renewable energy, co-investment, secondary funds-of-funds. In the renewables sector, Omnes Capital led the field with the launch of its first Capenergie fund in 2006. Since then, the company has made over 30 investments in France and elsewhere in Europe in the wind, solar, hydropower and biomass sectors equating to 1 500 MW of production capacity. Omnes Capital was a subsidiary of Crédit Agricole S.A. until March 2012. The company is now owned by its employees. Omnes Capital is a signatory to the United Nations’ Responsible Investment Principles.
www-rec.omnescapital.com
About EOS Holding
EOS Holding, whose shareholders are the main electricity companies in French-speaking Switzerland (Romande Energie SA, Groupe E SA, Ville de Lausanne, Services Industriels de Genève and FMV SA), has developed a “French-speaking” platform dedicated to new renewable energies. Since 2010, EOS Holding has built up a wind power portfolio with total capacity of around 267 MW (including minority interests) via acquisitions in France and Germany. This deal with Omnes Capital will increase EOS Holding’s capacity to around 360 MW.
Contacts
Omnes Capital
Gaëlle de Montoussé, gaelle.demontousse@www-rec.omnescapital.com – +33 1 80 48 79 16
Shan
Caroline Babouillard, caroline.babouillard@shan.fr – +33 1 44 50 58 72