The acquisition of Orange Renewable by Greenko is the third largest in terms of deal value and size in the Indian renewable energy sector.
Headquartered in New Delhi and owned by Singapore-based AT Capital – and with billionaire Arvind Tiku as main backer – Orange has 750 MW in operational assets (200 MW solar and 550 MW wind) with footprints in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. An additional 250 MW is under construction and the company has permits for 1GW in hand.
With an equity value of around $350 million and a debt base of about $650 million, Orange was put on the market about a year ago. After initial talks, ReNew Power pulled out and Hyderabad-based Greenko stepped in to buy its holding company, funding the acquisition through its internal reserves. Greenko’s operating portfolio is estimated to have generated around $400 million EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) in FY2018 and the company is targeting $700 million EBITDA next year.
Of late, India’s renewable space has witnessed several large ownership shifts – in 2016, Greenko bought SunEdison’s 587 MW Indian wind and solar projects for $390 million. The same year, Tata Power bought Welspun’s renewable portfolio for $1.4 billion and this year ReNew Power acquired Ostro Energy for a $ 1.5 billion enterprise value.
Renewable energy accounts for 15% of India’s total energy generation capacity of 300 GW, according to the latest government estimates.
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Mergers and acquisitions in renewables in India is as fast and rapid as the growth of renewable power. Only recently Orange Renewables won orders in tenders of SECI. The u turn to sell their assets raises eyebrows. Is renewable energy really growing or does it entail a perilious fall forcing developers to sell at opportune moment.