Warren Buffett investit 2 milliards dans le solaire
Le milliardaire américain Warren Buffett investit dans l'énergie solaire. Une de ses sociétés, EMidAmerican nergy, débourse en effet 2,5 milliards de dollars (1,9 milliard d'euros) pour deux projets de centrales photovoltaïques en Californie.
Selon MidAmerican Energy, il s'agit des plus importants projets de centrales photovoltaïques au monde. MidAmerican rachète ces projets à la société SunPower, qui a signé un contrat pour la réalisation du projet.
Les installations, qui devraient être opérationnelles fin 2015, disposeront d'une capacité de 579 MW, ce qui correspond à la puissance d'une grande centrale au gaz ou au charbon.
Warren Buffett, l'un des hommes les plus riches du monde avec un patrimoine estimé à 49,8 milliards de dollars (37,8 milliards d'euros), investit de plus en plus dans des projets liés aux énergies solaire et éolienne.
Les installations, qui devraient être opérationnelles fin 2015, disposeront d'une capacité de 579 MW, ce qui correspond à la puissance d'une grande centrale au gaz ou au charbon.
Warren Buffett, l'un des hommes les plus riches du monde avec un patrimoine estimé à 49,8 milliards de dollars (37,8 milliards d'euros), investit de plus en plus dans des projets liés aux énergies solaire et éolienne.
Warren Buffett to build world's largest solar energy project
Billionaire US investor Warren Buffett is taking a $2.5bn (£1.5bn) bet on solar energy, acquiring what is set to become the largest photovoltaic development in the world.
11:45PM GMT 02 Jan 2013
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MidAmerican Energy Holdings, a subsidiary of Mr Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway investment company, has struck a deal with SunPower to acquire and build two projects in California’s Antelope Valley.
The deal, which will see MidAmerican pay between $2bn to $2.5bn, marks the third time in little over a year that Mr Buffett has ploughed cash into solar energy.
He last year created a unit within Mid American to support an increasing number of solar and wind investments.
Work on the projects will begin within the next few months and construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2015.
SunPower, which is 66pc-owned by France’s Total, will remain involved in the construction and operation of the projects.
“Customers, investors and banks see this as a stamp of approval on SunPower,” SunPower’s president and chief executive, Tom Werner, said.
“It’s a huge deal for us, roughly the size of our company.”
SunPower, based in San Jose, California, has a market value of $732 million.
The two projects acquired by MidAmerican will have a combined capacity of 579 megawatts (MW), creating the largest solar photovoltaic power development in the world.
The scheme is expected to create about 650 construction jobs, SunPower said in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
In December 2011 MidAmerican acquired another 550 MW solar plant in California from First Solar in a deal valued at an estimated $2bn.
Shortly before the First Solar deal, the investment group also swooped on a 49pc stake in a $1.8bn project in Arizona.
In total, the Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary has more than 1,830 MW of assets, also including wind power, geothermal, and hydro projects.
California is the biggest solar market in the US.
