Debiopharm Investment, Ardian, Nixdorf Foundation and Bernis today acquire Eco Delta solar activities

Paris and Lausanne, December 18, 2014 – Ardian, Debiopharm Investment SA (Debiopharm) and Nixdorf Foundation today announce the acquisition of a 92.4% stake in Delta Solar and Eco Delta Operation & Maintenance, Eco Delta subsidiaries. Each investor holds an equal share of 30.8%. The remaining 7.6% has been acquired by Bernis Energy.

The acquisition has been made via Aloe Invest – a company created by the four investors – dedicated to renewable energy projects. This company will be managed by Aloe Private Equity, a team specialized in environmental technologies.

Founded in 2002, Delta Solar is very active in the development of solar projects and manages nine photovoltaic farms (including the site of Les Mées in the French Alps, one of the largest farms in France). With a capacity of about 70MW, Delta Solar is ranked amongst the top five solar operators in France. Created in 2012, the Eco Delta Operation & Maintenance structure specializes in the operation and maintenance of the group’s power plants.

Delta Solar also holds permits for solar projects in the South of France that it intends to develop with the support of its new shareholders.
This transaction provides Delta Solar with a strong, long-term and institutional ownership that allows the company to reach a new stage in its development through organic growth or acquisitions.

About Debiopharm Investment SA
Debiopharm Investment SA pursues a mission of preserving, diversifying and supporting the sustainable growth of Debiopharm Group, a biopharmaceutical development company based in Lausanne (Switzerland), through a comprehensive investment strategy centered on three areas of activity: Finance (portfolio management, currency hedging), Real Estate (residential and commercial) and Private Equity.
The Private Equity team focuses primarily on investment diversification, managing a portfolio of funds and direct equity investments, as minority shareholders, in the capital of pioneering start-ups as well as small and medium-sized European companies.
Our entrepreneurial background, as well as our willingness and capacity to be long-term partners alongside the teams in which we invest, are the established pillars of our commitment.
For more information about Debiopharm Investment SA, please visit www.debiopharm.com 

About Ardian
Ardian, founded in 1996 and led by Dominique Senequier, is a premium independent private investment company with assets of US$50bn managed or advised in Europe, North America and Asia. The company keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and delivers investment performance to its global investors while fuelling growth in economies across the world. Ardian’s investment process embodies three values: excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship. Ardian’s employees form the largest shareholder group. Over 80 percent of employees have invested in the company, which is testament to their trust in the management and the corporate strategy.

Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 340 employees working through ten offices in Paris, London, New York, Beijing, Frankfurt, Jersey, Luxembourg, Milan, Singapore and Zurich. The company offers its 346 investors a diversified choice of funds covering the full range of asset classes, including Fund of Funds (primary, early secondary and secondary), Direct Funds including Infrastructure, Expansion, Mid Cap Buyout, Ardian Croissance, Co-Investment and Private Debt.
Ardian invests in this operation through AXA Clean Energy Fund I, a fund specialized in renewable energies. Managed by the Infrastructure team, this €155 million fund is dedicated to any form of renewable energy investment worldwide.
For more information about Ardian, please visit www.ardian-investment.com

About Nixdorf Foundation
The Nixdorf Foundations have been created by Heinz Nixdorf’s heirs. Their assets were initially composed of Nixdorf Computer AG’s shares and then of the proceeds of the exit. This is one of the largest private foundations in Germany.

About Bernis
Bernis Energy is the Bernis Family’s SPV dedicated to investing in clean energy projects.

About Aloe Private Equity
Aloe Private Equity is a private equity investment company that specializes in environment and renewable energy sectors and more generally in sustainable development. Aloe aims to create value for its shareholders via active participations in companies that work to preserve, improve or restore environment in Europe, but also in India and in China where the company is present since its creation.
For more information, please visit www.aloe-group.com

List of advisors
Fundraising and strategic advisor: Hottinguer Corporate Finance
Legal: DLA Piper, Linklaters, Gatienne Brault & Associés, Gide Loyrette Nouel
Tax and structuring: Landwell, Linklaters
Financial due diligence: PWC, KPMG
Technical due diligence: DNV GL, Kilowattsol, Greensolver
Insurances: Marsh
Sell-side legal advisor: CGR Legal
Sell-side financial advisor: Astris Finance