Paris/Vienna March 6, 2023. French private equity and infrastructure investor Omnes is acquiring a significant stake in the Austrian-German PV specialist CCE, a merger of two pioneers in the photovoltaic industry with a presence across several European markets and Chile and a pipeline of over 4 GW. Omnes will support CCE’s transformation into a leading European IPP and is expected to invest a three-digit million amount in the company.
Paris-based private equity and infrastructure investor Omnes has acquired a significant stake in leading Austrian-German PV developer CCE, headquartered in Vienna. The investment has been carried out through Capenergie 5, which is Omnes’ fifth vintage focused on renewable energy. The funds provided by Omnes are intended to accelerate CCE’s growth toward becoming a leading international IPP.
Michael Pollan, Partner at Omnes, and Yannic Trueb, Principal, said: “We are thrilled to support CCE in their exciting growth initiatives as they work to expand their footprint across Europe and beyond. This transaction is a testament to our approach to support best-in class developers on their IPP journey. We are confident that CCE, supported by Omnes alongside its long-time partner Ärzteversorgung Thüringen, has the capacity to become a leading player in the global energy transition.”
New corporate structure
CCE emerged from a merger of the two PV developers, Austria-based Clean Capital Energy and Germany-based enernovum. The two companies were founded in 2010 and have been working together very successfully in individual markets for several years. Based on the ambition to create a leading European IPP, CCE Holding was created in 2021 together with Ärzteversorgung Thüringen, combining all operating units and the project pipeline of over 4 GW.
Partnership paves the way to the IPP
After Ärzteversorgung Thüringen having accompanied and significantly financed CCE’s corporate development to date, Omnes’ involvement as a strategic partner will enable CCE to expand its long-term ownership portfolio and accelerate its transition to becoming a leading independent power producer. CCE is already one of the leading developers of PV power plants in connection with flexible energy storage systems in southern and central Europe.
Daniel Kropp, Managing Director of Ärzteversorgung Thüringen: “With the investment in CCE, Ärzteversorgung Thüringen is making a significant and active contribution to the energy transition and we are pleased that Omnes could be acquired as a first-class partner for the further development of the company.”
Martin Dürnberger and Jörg Menyesch, Managing Partners of CCE said: “Our mission is to actively and decisively help shape the energy transition. In order to cope with this, professional competence and financially strong partners are required. With Ärzteversorgung Thüringen and Omnes as shareholders of CCE, we now have the best prerequisites and can make our contribution to the energy transition as a future Independent Power Producer (IPP). The market is facing major challenges and we are ready to master them.”