Buyers line up for E.On’s Spanish assets

Spanish newspaper Expansión reported on Wednesday that there are several bidders interested in buying German utility E.ON's Spanish assets. Spain's Grupo Villar Mir, Portuguese utility Energias de Portugal (EDP) and five investment funds could be in the race to acquire the assets.

According to the source KKR, Riverstone, Brookfield, Blackstone and JP Morgan Infrastructure Investments would be the investors interested in the assets.

E.ON Espana has 4.5 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity in Spain, mostly through thermal generation but also including 1.1 GW of renewables capacity, and employs about 1,130 people.

Energias de Portugal (EDP) has electricity distribution assets in Asturias and gas distribution assets in Pais Vasco. Those would have great sinergies with the electricity distribution assets that E.ON has in Cantabria, also in northern Spain. However, local sources that the company could have problems to find financiers for the transaction.

In April, Reuters published that E.ON had hired Citi to advise it on the sale of the assets.

Citi has opened the books on the assets to potential buyers, which would need to make non-binding offers before August 11.

According to sources, the assets E.ON is selling could fetch between 2.8 and 3 billion euros. E.ON bought assets that Endesa had in spain, Italy and France for €8.6 billion plus €2.6 billion in debt.