TotalEnergies tipped to buy $2bn European renewable energy group
French oil giant closing in on deal for Germany-based VSB, says report
French oil giant TotalEnergies is closing in on a €2bn ($2.1bn) deal to acquire control of European renewable energy developer VSB Group, it was reported today.
Germany-based VSB develops in the wind, solar and bioenergy sectors, with projects built in its home market, France, Italy, Poland, Croatia and Finland.
The company has an installed capacity of 1.7GW and a 10GW pipeline, according to its website. Partners Group bought an 80% stake in VSB in January 2020.
If the deal materialises it will confirm TotalEnergies as the global oil group most obviously still engaged into a concerted push into the renewable energy sector, even as other fossil giants pull back.
The French supermajor’s onshore renewables interests already include its Eren subsidiary, while at sea it has partnered on major offshore wind projects with RWE. The oil giant aims to have 100GW of renewables in place by 2030 up from around 22GW in place at the end of last year.