Premier Energy, one of the biggest suppliers and distributors of natural gas in Romania, acquired the company CEZ Vanzare, owned by Macquarie Asset Management.

CEZ Vanzare is a Romanian electricity distributor with a portfolio of 1.4 million customers and was part of the Czech group CEZ before being bought by the Australian infrastructure fund Macquarie along with CEZ's other assets in Romania.

The transaction needs to be cleared by the Romanian competition and energy market authorities before completion. CEZ Vanzare will be rebranded with the name of the new owner.

Premier Energy, owned by the investment fund Emma Capital, has been active in Romania for ten years.

"This transaction is a great joy and achievement for us. The acquisition of CEZ Vânzare is an extremely important step in our local and regional development strategy, in line with the announced plan to become a regional energy platform. We are long-term involved in the distribution and supply of natural gas in Romania, as well as in the production and supply of electricity from renewable sources. We have a business that expands both organically and through acquisitions and mergers, and our goal is vertical integration. Therefore, the acquisition of CEZ Vânzare creates synergies in our group and complements our portfolio," said Jose Garza, CEO of Premier Energy.

Established in 2007, Premier Energy operates as a distributor and supplier in the natural gas market in Romania, being the third largest player in this sector after Engie and E.ON. The company is owned by Cyprus-registered energy holding company Premier Energy PLC, indirectly controlled by Czech businessman Jiri Smejc through the investment fund Emma Capital.

At the same time, Premier Energy PLC is the largest distributor and supplier of electricity in the Republic of Moldova, with a market share of around 70%.

At the end of last year, Premier Energy fully acquired Alive Capital, the largest independent player in the renewable energy market. Through these purchases, the group is preparing its transition to renewable energy, the target set for Romania and the region being 300-500 MW in the next five years.

andrei@romania-insider.com

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