Japanese oil giant Eneos flags green ambition with $1.8bn swoop for Goldman Sachs-owned JRE
Hydrocarbons player aims to become 'leading renewables company' after acquisition from investment behemoth
The largest Japanese oil group, Eneos, announced a major move in the energy transition with the purchase of developer Japan Renewable Energy (JRE) from Goldman Sachs.
Eneos said the purchase will underpin its plans to become a significant player in renewables at home and overseas, with ambitions spanning onshore and offshore wind, and solar.
It was reported that Eneos will pay about 200bn yen ($1.77bn) for the developer, which has a total pipeline of just under 900MW, with about 420MW of mostly solar plants in operation and will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the oil group.
Eneos said in a statement announcing the deal that it expects to have more than 1GW in operation by the end of the 2022 fiscal year.
The oil group said: “Eneos aims to become a leading renewable energy company in Japan by combining JRE’s development capabilities in the renewable energy business with expertise that Eneos has accumulated as an energy company.”
Eneos added that it plans to develop energy management systems that will integrate renewable power with battery storage and EV networks.
Both JRE and its new owner have put their toes in the water of offshore wind, which Eneos said is set to become a major clean power source for Japan as the nation seeks to build up to 45GW by 2040.
Eneos is also part of the consortium that won Japan’s first offshore wind tender, the 21MW Goto Islands floating project.
Philippe Camu, global co-head of infrastructure at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, said: “The transfer of ownership announced today sets JRE on to the next phase of its growth, while we continue to seek out new opportunities to create and build businesses which will deliver lasting environmental benefits and value for investors.”
Japan is looking to expand renewables generation as part of its wider climate ambitions.