E.ON shortlists 3 bidders for U.S. business: sources
FRANKFURT/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Germany’s E.ON <EONGn.DE>, the world’s largest utility by sales, has shortlisted three bidders for the multi-billion euro sale of its U.S. business, three people with knowledge of the matter said.
U.S. utilities Duke <DUK.N> and PPL <PPL.N> are among the bidders, two people with knowledge of the matter said. A financial consortium including Australian investor MacQuarie <MQG.AX> is the third bidder, one person said.
E.ON shortlists 3 bidders for U.S. unit – sources
FRANKFURT/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Germany’s E.ON <EONGn.DE>, the world’s largest utility by sales, has short listed three bidders for the multi-billion euro sale of its U.S. business, three people with knowledge of the matter said.
U.S. utilities Duke <DUK.N> and PPL <PPL.N> are among the bidders, two people with knowledge of the matter said. A financial consortium including Australian investor MacQuarie <MQG.AX> is the third bidder, one person said.
GDF Suez bids for German gas supplier -sources
FRANKFURT, April 23 (Reuters) – French utility GDF Suez
<GSZ.PA> is bidding for German rival E.ON’s <EONGn.DE> stake in
eastern German gas supplier Gasag to raise its share in the
business to a majority, people familiar with the matter said.
GDF Suez, which already holds 32 percent in Berlin-based
Gasag, faces competition from the municipal utility holding
Thuega, which is also bidding for E.ON’s 37 percent stake, two
people close to the matter told Reuters.
Surprising profit growth at Mercedes pulls Daimler
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Daimler’s <DAIGn.DE> Mercedes Benz cars unit is returning to its role as the company’s cash cow.
The luxury carmaker this year might earn twice as much as it previously forecast from the division after lively demand for the limousines in the first three months bolstered its confidence in a recovering market.
Nuclear ambitions pose company risk, public costs
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – European investors and consumers take note: plans by power companies to cut carbon emissions with a new range of nuclear power stations are a big gamble for companies and joe public will have to foot the bill.
Britain, Italy and Finland plan to decide this year on strategies to rebuild their collection of nuclear reactors, while Sweden will decide after its general election whether to allow new nuclear power plants.
SSE opens bidding for EDF’s British power grids
LONDON/AMSTERDAM, March 16 (Reuters) – Scottish & Southern
Energy Plc <SSE.L> said it has made an indicative offer for the
British power grids of French peer EDF <EDF.PA>, as the field
of potential buyers for the three networks is narrowing down.
“We have put in an indicative bid, it’s at a very early
stage of the process,” Scottish & Southern’s Finance Director
Gregor Alexander told Reuters on Tuesday on the sidelines of a
conference in London, declining to specify the value of the
bid.
E.ON mulls sale of U.S. unit to cut debt – sources
NEW YORK/FRANKFURT, March 2 (Reuters) – Germany’s E.ON
<EONGn.DE>, the world’s largest utility by sales, may sell its
U.S. unit in what could be one of the biggest deals in the
industry this year, people familiar with the matter told
Reuters.
“It’d be good to get rid of that business,” said a person
from within E.ON familiar with the management’s strategy.
Cells gives cloudy outlook for solar market
FRANKFURT, Feb 23 (Reuters) – Q-Cells <QCEG.DE>, the world’s
fourth-biggest maker of solar cells, echoed competitors in
warning on Tuesday of an uncertain year ahead as countries cut
financial support for solar power and low-cost producers
pressure prices.
While Q-Cells is sold out for the first half of the year it
sees “unclear pricing dynamics” from July onwards, it said,
adding that it could only say of 2010 that it aims to be
profitable as prices remain so unpredictable.
E.ON makes 3i favorite for Italy gas grid-sources
MILAN/FRANKFURT, Feb 17 (Reuters) – E.ON <EONGn.DE>, the
world’s largest utility, selected a consortium of private
equity fund 3i <III.L> and local Italian gas supplier Erogasmet
as favorites to buy their Italian gas grid, two people with
knowledge of the matter said.
E.ON needs to sell the 9,400 kilometers of gas lines in
order to reach its target of completing 10 billion euros of
divestments by the end of 2010.
Resources and chips among top picks for sales growth
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Raw materials needed for an economic recovery, semiconductors and luxury carmakers are among the sectors where investors are likely to find the sales growth that has eluded them for the past year.
Increasing revenue will be key for European company earnings in 2010 because it will enable companies to build on the gains from cost cuts forced on them by a global economic slump.
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