Con Edison announced that one of its subsidiaries has agreed to acquire a Sempra Energy subsidiary that owns 981 MWac of operating renewable electric production projects, including its 379 MWac share of projects that it owns jointly with Con Edison subsidiaries, and certain development rights for additional solar electric production and energy storage projects. The purchase price for the acquisition is $1.54 billion (subject to closing adjustments, including working capital). The projects have $576 million of existing project debt. The acquisition is expected to be completed near the end of 2018.
“Renewable energy is the fastest growing source of the country’s supply of electricity, and the acquisition will accelerate our position as a market leader,” said John McAvoy, chairman and CEO of Con Edison. “We have grown a meaningful large-scale solar business and will add value to new capital opportunities as they arise. With completion of this acquisition, we expect to be the second largest owner of solar electric production projects in North America.”
The acquisition will increase Con Edison’s utility-scale, renewable energy production portfolio to approximately 2,600 MWac, of which 85% is solar and 15% is wind. The energy produced will avoid approximately 5.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. That result is the equivalent of taking 1.2 million vehicles off the roads.
Mark Noyes, president and CEO of Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses, which owns Con Edison’s renewable energy production projects, stated, “These projects are located in states in which we currently own and operate projects, and in some cases are adjacent to our existing projects, creating opportunities for value-enhancing synergies.”
The projects are located in Nevada, Arizona, California and Nebraska, and consist of projects jointly-owned by Con Edison subsidiaries and Sempra subsidiaries and projects wholly-owned by Sempra subsidiaries. All of the existing projects sell electricity under long-term agreements with investment-grade utilities or municipalities.
The sale is subject to customary closing conditions and consents, including approvals by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Department of Energy, and the expiration or early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.
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