Two strategic M&A transactions announced in the French PV sector

The French solar sector is currently seeing a strong dynamism, as a result of the series of tenders for all kinds of solar power projects, launched two years ago by France’s previous government; recent policy improvements and increased solar capacity volumes announced under the current government; and announcements of GW-sized plans by the country’s energy giants EDF, Total and Engie.

A natural consequence of this situation, in which big players make clear statements on their intention to dominate the solar energy market in both the near and distant future, is that small and middle-sized enterprises seek to join forces and to reorganize their structures, in order to better compete in a challenging business environment.

Two of these companies are French large-scale solar project developer, Solstyce and rooftop PV specialist, Enerpur, which have agreed to merge into a single entity. In their joint press release, the two companies said they have joined forces to accelerate convergence between environmental performance and economic efficiency. The merger between them, they added, must be seen in the frame of the “place au soleil” plan, which was announced by the French government last week.

Through this transaction, Enerpur and Solstyce said they aim to strengthen their presence in the France solar market, and expand business activities abroad. Both brands will be maintained: Solstyce for PV activities and electromobility; and Enerpur for waterproofing works. The new entity will have 50 employees and three offices in France.

The second deal was made by French construction materials provider, Terreral, which agreed to acquire a 51% stake in France-based mounting system specialist, GSE Intégration, which is a unit of French rooftop solar installer, Groupe Solution Énergie (GSE).

“We are pleased to announce the signing of this agreement for the acquisition of the majority of GSE Integration, which marks the group's desire to continue its development in solar solutions,” said Terreal managing director Laurent Musy, “This acquisition will allow Terreak to enter the sector and to continue to diversify its solar offer thanks to the innovation strength of the GSE Integration and Terreal teams,” he added.

The financial details for both transactions were not disclosed.

One can expect that similar announceents, or even larger partnerships will be made in France over the coming months. The large volumes of solar which are expected to be deployed through both past and future tenders, will push companies to join forces, in order to simplify the management of big project portfolios, reduce costs, rely on qualified workforces, and improve efficiency.