BayWa r.e. is continuing its strong growth in France by acquiring the wind and solar developer Enerpole, which has long been a preferred partner of the company. A pioneer in the development of renewable energy, Enerpole was founded in Carcassonne in the South of France in 2005.
Through the acquisition, BayWa r.e. secures a 600-MW project portfolio, including 300 MW of solar and 300 MW of wind capacity. Enerpole’s eight employees will also join the BayWa r.e. team.
“We have been working with BayWa r.e. for many years. Our two companies share a common project development culture that respects people, the environment and the region,” said Jean-Paul Boulze, founder of Enerpole. “To us, BayWa r.e. is the most natural buyer to represent our values and continue our approach in the field, while retaining the confidence of our employees.”
This acquisition is a strong indicator of BayWa r.e.’s growth over recent years. The company, which employs 130 people in France, has tripled its workforce in the last three years, and plans to recruit another 30 people this year.
“The acquisition of Enerpole is consistent with BayWa r.e.'s development strategy in France, one of the company’s key markets, which accounts for 20% of its results,” commented Can Nalbantoglu, Managing Director of BayWa r.e. France.
Through Enerpole, BayWa r.e. is establishing its seventh office in France, in Carcassonne, and is strengthening its presence in the Occitanie region in Southern France, with additional recruitments planned.
“We have a territorial approach which focuses on the challenges and needs of each region,” added Can. “The Occitanie region is third in France in terms of installed wind power and second in terms of installed solar capacity. Its potential and the high quality of its solar and wind resources naturally made the region a strategic one for developing renewable energy in France.”
Active in France since 2005, BayWa r.e. has already installed and commissioned 315 MW of wind and solar farms, and is responsible for the technical and commercial management of almost 600 MW. BayWa r.e. now has a project pipeline of 2.2 GW under development in France (1 GW wind and 1.2 GW solar). The growth of its Services’ business there is another continuous strategic business objective. The company is also working on the development of technological solutions such as Floating-PV and Agri-PV in France.
Worldwide, BayWa r.e. has successfully installed over 4 GW of renewable energy capacity and manages over 10 GW of renewable energy assets. Its projects portfolio amounts to 13.7 GW under development. The recent capital increase by Swiss investor Energy Infrastructure Partners (EIP) will enable BayWa r.e. to deploy renewable energy on an even greater scale. BayWa r.e. also recently entered the generation market by becoming an Independent Power Producer and will keep and manage select assets on a continuous basis.
