Engie completes Maia Eolis takeover

FRANCE: Utility Engie (formerly GDF Suez) has taken full control of developer Maia Eolis after acquiring the remaining 51% of the company.

by David Weston 15 March 2016

Engie has acquired Maia Eolis' wind portfolio, including 246MW of operating assets

French-based Maia Eolis owns and operates 21 projects, mostly in north-east France, totalling 246MW.

Its pipeline also consists of a possible 250MW of projects under construction or fully permitted, plus 400MW in development, all in France, Engie said.

Engie already owned a 49% stake in Maia Eolis, with the other 51% owned by the Maia Group, a French infrastructure company. Engie has been a partner in the wind developer for ten years, the utility said.

"Maia Eolis, which we now control 100%, is a recognised player in wind for operation and maintenance. Its expertise will strengthen the [Engie] 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 Maia Eolus teams," commented Engie CEO Gerard Mestrallet.

In July 2015, Maia Eolis sold 379MW of its French development portfolio to local renewable energy firm Voltalia.