Denmark’s Orsted A/S is in talks with a consortium that includes AXA SA and a Credit Agricole SA unit to sell a stake in a large wind farm off the east coast of England, according to people familiar with the matter.
The French firms are in advanced discussions to acquire a stake in Hornsea 2, though the auction hasn’t been finalized, according to the people who asked not be identified because the process is private. It could be one of this year’s biggest transactions for a single renewable power asset, worth about 1.8 billion pounds ($2.44 billion) for a 50% share, according to data from BloombergNEF.
Offshore wind farms are increasingly attractive assets both for financial investors and energy companies that want to increase their exposure to renewable power. The giant clean power plants are growing from a niche industry in Europe to one of the world’s go-to ways to replace electricity from fossil fuels.
A spokesperson for Orsted, the world’s biggest operator of offshore wind parks, declined to comment. Representatives for AXA and Credit Agricole’s insurance arm also declined to comment.
Orsted’s 1.3 gigawatt Hornsea 2 wind farm will be one of the biggest in the world when it’s completed later this year. It will be capable of powering more than 1.3 million homes and began to produce some power in December. The company said earlier this year that it expects to sell 50% of the wind park by the summer.
–With assistance from Isis Almeida.
Photograph of offshore wind turbines. Photo credit: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg.