Investors Eye Enel's 760 MW Renewable Assets in India

01 Jun 2024

About half a dozen investors, including UAE's Masdar Energy, Singapore's Sembcorp, JSW Energy, Torrent Power, Sekura Energy, and ONGC, have submitted non-binding bids to acquire 760 MW of operational assets in India from Italy's Enel Group.

HSBC is advising Enel on the sale, which may have an enterprise value of $500 million (?4,100 crore). The portfolio of Enel Green Power India includes 760 MW of operational wind and solar power assets, with a development pipeline of 2 gigawatts (GW). The operational capacity comprises 420 MW from solar power projects and 340 MW from wind power.

Last year, the Norwegian Climate Investment Fund, managed by Norfund, and KLP, Norway's largest pension company, committed $100 million for a 168 MW wind power plant developed by Enel Green Power in India. In 2020, Norfund and Enel Green Power entered into a joint investment agreement for renewable energy projects in India, with their first project, the 420 MW Thar solar plant, announced in 2022.

Founded in 2008, Enel Green Power (EGP) operates over 63 GW of installed renewable capacity across 1,300 plants globally. EGP strengthened its position in India by acquiring a majority stake in BLP Energy for ?30 million (?220 crore) in 2015.

Energy producers Sekura Energy, Sembcorp, and Masdar Energy are also contenders for Brookfield's 2 GW renewable portfolio in India, estimated to be worth $800 million-1 billion (?6,600-8,300 crore). JSW Neo Energy and Sekura Energy are bidding for a controlling stake in Ayana Renewable Power, valued at about $2 billion.

ONGC is pursuing assets in the clean energy space as part of its decarbonization efforts, aiming for a renewable energy capacity of 10 GW by 2030 with an investment of ?1 lakh crore.

The renewable energy sector's outlook in India remains stable, bolstered by strong government policy support, superior tariff competitiveness, and sustainability initiatives by large commercial and industrial customers.

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