ENGIE acquires remaining 51% stake in French wind developer MAIA EOLIS
ENGIE acquires the remaining 51% of MAÏA EOLIS, company specialized in the development, construction, operation and maintenance of wind farms in France, bringing its ownership stake to 100 %.
ENGIE has thus strengthened its position as France’s Nº1 in wind power, with 1,533 MW of installed capacity.
MAÏA EOLIS, a subsidiary of the MAÏA Group, was founded in 2006 by Christophe Gruy and has been a partner of ENGIE for the past ten years. MAÏA EOLIS currently operates 21 wind farms located mainly in the Nord-Pasde-Calais-Picardie and the Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine regions, producing a total of 246 MW. MAÏA EOLIS also owns a portfolio of 250 MW either under construction or with construction permits, plus more than 400 MW additional development potential.
ENGIE’s acquisition of 100% of MAÏA EOLIS will facilitate and speed completion of these projects by leveraging the skills of the company’s 76 employees and the expertise of the ENGIE Group.
Gérard Mestrallet, Chairman and CEO of ENGIE, declared:
“This acquisition perfectly illustrates ENGIE’s strategy to be the world energy transition leader. MAÏA EOLIS, which we now control 100%, is a recognized player in wind farm for operation and maintenance. Its expertise will strengthen the Group’s operational excellence in this field. In the context of the sector’s strong growth between now and 2020, we intend to augment the development of projects already undertaken by MAÏA EOLIS teams.”
Christophe Gruy, Chairman of the MAÏA Group, added:
“I am particularly pleased to conclude this transaction with our historical partner with which we have built and made MAIA EOLIS grow since the past ten years. The ENGIE offer convinced me both from the industrial as well as the social perspectives. The company’s teams thereby have a tremendous opportunity to continue to develop their activities within an internationally recognized group.”
In July last year, we reported that Voltalia acquired a 379 MW wind projects portfolio in France from Maïa Eolis. The purchased projects, from the most preliminary to the most advanced stage, represented an overall 379 MW potential capacity (in development or in study phase).
