Ardian, an independent private investment firm, announced that it has acquired the remaining stakes in Tre Solar (35%) from Tozzi Green. With this investment, he points out, Ardian Infrastructure becomes the sole shareholder of the company, a renewable energy platform created in 2011 in a joint venture with Tozzi Green, a company specializing in renewable energy of the Italian industrial group Tozzi.
Tre Solar manages a portfolio of 462 MW (gross capacity) which includes photovoltaic, wind, hydroelectric and biomass plants all located in Italy. Ardian Acquires Full Control of Portfolio Solar, Wind and Hydroelectric Assets; only the biomass plant (25 MW), managed by Agritre and acquired by Tre Solar in October 2014, will continue to be held jointly by Ardian (52%) and Tozzi (48%).
Following the shareholder change, Tre Solar changed its name to 3 New and TRE&Partners became 3 New&Partners. The administrative offices, continues the press release, have been transferred to Rovereto to allow for more efficient operational independence; the building that will house the new offices is the result of a renovation project commissioned by the Province of Trento. Tre Solar will also strengthen the organizational structure through a new recruitment program.
Ardian Infrastructure and Tozzi began their collaboration on renewable energy projects in Italy in 2007, with Ardian's acquisition of 30% of two wind farms in Calvello and Serracapriola. The partnership was further strengthened in the following years with the establishment in 2009 of the joint venture TRE&Partners (45% Ardian and 55% Tozzi Green) which made it possible to develop investments in the wind and hydroelectric sector and, in 2011, of Tre Solar a second joint venture (Ardian with 65% and Tozzi with 35%) to diversify the investment in photovoltaic and biomass.
The new operation follows Ardian Infrastructure's recent investments in green energy projects in Norway, Sweden, Chile and Peru, all completed in 2016. Ardian Infrastructure operates worldwide in the renewable energy sector, with 1GW of installed capacity in wind, solar, hydroelectric, biogas and biomass.
Mathias Burghardt, head of Ardian Infrastructure, said: “Our partnership with the Tozzi Group has allowed us to build one of the largest renewable energy platforms in Europe, demonstrating the effectiveness of our strategy. This operation is not the end of our fruitful collaboration. In fact, we will continue to look for new opportunities to work together in the future”.
Stefano Mion, Managing Director of Ardian Infrastructure, added: “This transaction perfectly illustrates the investment strategy that Ardian has been pursuing in Italy since 2007. We have built strong long-term relationships with major industrial groups and have invested in strategic sectors that require a strong commitment, foresight and targeted skills”.
