Areva To Acquire Ausra En Route To Reach Goal Of World Leader

AREVA announced the 100% acquisition of U.S.-based Ausra. This acquisition launches AREVA’s new global solar energy business. It reflects AREVA’s strategic objective to be the world leader in concentrated solar power (CSP) and will further strengthen and diversify its renewables portfolio.

Combining Ausra’s technology and AREVA’s Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) skills, the group is committed to building the most cost-effective CSP plants for utilities, independent power producers and industrial customers around the world.

The market for concentrated solar power plants is expected to grow substantially in the next decade with an average annual growth rate of 20% and should reach an estimated installed capacity of over 20 GW by 2020. With this acquisition, AREVA is poised to capture the leading position of this attractive and growing market.

AREVA will leverage and reinforce Ausra’s team to strengthen its Global Solar business unit, led by Dr. Robert E. Fishman. It will be operated out of Ausra’s existing Mountain View, Calif. headquarters.

This acquisition is expected to close in the next few months, subject to customary regulatory approval.

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