Show notes
We discuss the recent acquisition of Innergex by CDPQ for $3.6 billion, highlighting its implications on the wind industry. We also delve into LM Wind Power producing blades for ENERCON from its factory in Turkey and feature the Buffalo Mountain Wind Farm, a unique project on a reclaimed coal mine in Tennessee.
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You are listening to the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast brought to you by build turbines.com. Learn, train, and be a part of the Clean Energy Revolution. Visit build turbines.com today. Now here's your hosts, Allen Hall, Joel Saxum, Phil Totaro, and Rosemary Barnes.
Allen Hall: Big news, Innergex Renewable Energy has announced that it will be acquired by CDPQ.
A major community and pension fund manager for about $13 and 75 cents per share. I've seen a couple different numbers about that. This transaction represents a total enterprise value of approximately 3.6 billion US dollars, and marks a really a substantial consolidation in the wind industry. The deal offers about a 40% premium on interjects closing share.
Of a couple months ago. So that's a pretty good premium that CDPQ put on interjects value. And now Phil, this is part of a larger play of a lot of consolidation. This one in particular, interject is going to become a private company after this acquisition. Why?
Phil Totaro: It, that's an interesting question because normally when a company gets taken private by a large institutional investor, it's to restructure.
I am not sure that. Innergex needs that much restructuring per se. It's not like they've got a huge team to begin with. But a reasonably competent team in terms of the pedigree of their developments, obviously in Canada and throughout Europe as well. And they've been trying to venture off and dip their toe in other markets as well.
The reality of this is that it, it's a fantastic thing for CDPQ to strengthen their position and it comes at a point in time when a lot of these Canadian pension funds are looking at the profitability and the returns that they're seeing on their investments globally, including the US right now with all the trade tensions and everything we've got.
And I think you're gonna see more of these Canadian. Pension funds and investors pulling back and doing things that are ignoring the US at this point. Looking at deals in Canada, looking at deals in Europe, looking at deals in Southeast Asia and South America for that matter.
Joel Saxum: I think it makes sense for me like CDPQ keeping their Canadian money mostly in Canada. However, I know Innergex has a hand small handful of wind farms in the United States as well. Did you see a reality where just because of geopolitical reasons, they might just. Sell those couple of wind farms off.
Phil Totaro: Let's put it this way, Brookfield's not going anywhere and they're always on the hunt for, good assets.
But there's other people that could want to gobble up wind assets right now, especially if, the assets that Enerex owns in the US they're not quite ready for repowering yet. But maybe that's part of the play.
Joel Saxum: Moving forward. Yeah, I know, like you said, you mentioned Brookfield.
Brookfield, same thing. We're talking about market consolidation. They just bought National Grid renewables not too long ago, and I know National Grid renewables in the States. A couple, A handful of wind farms and some solar assets, some other things. So yes, continuing to see that trend.
Allen Hall: I still wonder though if taking them private is a better long-term play.
Because of the turbulence that's gonna happen over the next couple of years. It gets rid of all the shareholder complaints and the back and forth and where to save money and whatnot. If you're really trying to look for a longer play, doesn't taking renewable assets, especially large scale renewable assets off the public markets, the better long-term play.
I just think that. There's so much turbulence in renewable energy, and it's getting bashed so much that the value was still there, but in the public eye, it's like it doesn't have as much value. But when you're producing power and you're delivering it and getting paid, you're still making money.
Phil Totaro: Maybe to answer that question. I think again, the reason that you would take something private is if you wanna avoid the scrutiny in general. And the reason to wanna avoid the scrutiny at this point is partly what you just described, but I think mainly if you're looking to own and operate for a longer term, this is something, and look, CDPQ is putting money into something that they're not making a short-term play themselves either. This isn't just, Hey, let's buy Inex to flip it in a year and a half or something. They're, if they're. Going in like they did with a minority stake that they've got in energy or any other investments that they've got and partnerships they've got around the world on individual projects or with development and owner operator companies then, they're very deliberate about what they've done.
So again, taking it private. To me feels like they want to, just go about their business for the time being.
Allen Hall: Would the Canadian US tariff exchanges influence that decision
Phil Totaro: A little bit. I. Not necessarily a take private deal specifically, but you've got a scenario where, again, there, the Canadian pension funds and institutional investors, which is also gonna include, the likes of CDPQ and Brookfield.
They are going to make it a point to de-emphasize investments in the US for the time being, because there's, it's, and it's really not even, 'cause look, we talked about this on the show before. If we end up in a recession and interest rates end up coming down, that's actually really good for investors because they wanna plow money in when the cost of money's cheap, if interest rates are low.
But the reality of it is we're not quite there yet. We're not, all the way into a recession yet there's, everybody's still on the fence. The what they're, what everyone's trying to avoid right now is the chaos that's ensuing from the uncertainty around. The tariffs that are either in place, not in place, now they're in place again.
We had Ontario trying to impose tariffs on the energy exports. Now they're not, because there was a conversation with the commerce department. So I, who knows what's gonna happen. This is the problem. Nobody knows what the hell's gonna happen tomorrow. So how the hell can you plan financially?
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Visit EOLOGIX-PING.com and take control of your turbine's health today. LM Windpower has announced an extension of its partnership with Evolv. Company's Intercon leading wind turbine provider, obviously. Through a new contract that'll supply LM 78.3 meter blades for intercom's, E one 60, EP five, E two wind turbines.
This, these blades are gonna be manufactured over in Turkey at the end of this year and it. It seems like LM is moving away from manufacturing GE equipment to picking up some work for other manufacturers. I, we've been noticing this trend for several months now. It does seem like this alliance falls into that bucket of maybe LM is moving on a little bit, but Turkey, the thing about this is LM getting work in Turkey because it did seem like a lot of.
Companies were starting to pull out a Turkey. Intercon is starting to fill the void. Isn't that what it looks like, Phil?
Phil Totaro: Yes. Although this is slightly confusing. 'cause if you remember last year they were talking about laying everybody off in Turkey at LM and shutting the whole factory because I thought Intercon was working with TPI, who also has a facility there on the manufacturing of blades.
So did something happen? And if so, what? I don't think we know. But also this, this deal, while it's obviously not necessarily bad news for lm, keep in mind there's only five or so gigawatts of order book for these intercon turbines. That's specific model of turbine. So it's not like this is game changing for lm and it's not oh, this is gonna save the company, it'll keep a factory in Turkey operational for.
18 months while they produce these things. And then after that, I don't know what happens. 'cause intercom's not been like the strongest in terms of their global sales lately. So we'll see.
Joel Saxum: Yeah. So Rosemary, you worked at lm as part of some special projects. Of course you had one that was your general remit, but when things came through the door from other manufacturers of turbines, intercon being one of 'em, Intercon builds the turbine itself. They don't build their own blades. How was that handled within lm? Do you, did you have any experience with that?
Rosemary Barnes: So when I started at lm, there was nothing but other companies blades, right? LM Wind Power didn't make turbines and so the blades they made were exclusively for other manufacturers to put another manufacturers turbines.
And then a couple of years. Into my time at lm, I think must have been about 2018 or something. They got bought by ge who had been one of their main customers,