Azrieli Group Ltd. (TASE: AZRG) unit Supergas Ltd. will in a few days publish a tender to sell its 12 solar fields, with a total capacity of 20 megawatts, for NIS 150 million.
In 2013, US-owned SunPower Israel Corporation sold two solar fields, with a total capacity of 20 megawatts (MW), at Moshav Mivtachim and Talmei Bilu in the western Negev, to Noy Infrastructure and Energy Investment Fund and Enlight Renewable Energy Solutions Ltd. (TASE:ENLT). Supergas may get less than this for its solar fields because it owns two of the fields in partnership with other parties. In addition, the buyer will also assume the ventures' debts, which are estimated by solar energy industry sources at NIS 200-300 million. The sources believe that Enlight, Helios Energy Investments Ltd., and Sun Team Group Ltd. (TASE: SNTG), which was just acquired by Tzahi Sultan, may show an interest in Supergas's solar fields.
In a separate development, 11 solar fields, built at a cost of almost NIS 1 billion have been inaugurated in the past two days.
EDF Énergies Nouvelles (EDF-EN), a unit of France's national power utility Électricité de France, today inaugurated five solar fields, with a total capacity of 32 MW, in the Negev yesterday. They are at Gvulot (8.5 MW), Lahav (3.2 MW), Nahal Oz (6 MW), Kerem Shalom (6.4 MW), and Mishmar Hanegev (7.8 MW). EDF-EN began operating in Israel in 2011, and invested NIS 330 million in these projects.
"Today's hook-up is the first stage of hooking up 11 sites with a total capacity of 160 MW that the company is building," said EDF-EN Israel CEO Ayalon Alain Vaniche.
On Monday, Arava Power Company inaugurated six solar fields, with a total capacity of 36 MW, built at an investment of NIS 500 million.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 8, 2014
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