Founder in line for £175m payday after energy firm put up for grabs
THE entrepreneur behind Merseyside-based Clarke Energy is reported to have put the business up for sale and could be in line for a £175m windfall.
According to The Sunday Times, Jim Clarke, founder of the Knowsley renewable power specialist, has engaged KPMG to find new investors.
City sources say the 65-year-old Scotsman is considering selling his majority stake, with private equity firm ECI, which owns a third of the business, also investigating its options.
The price tag for the company is £350m with Clarke’s stake said to be £175m.
Clarke Energy – winner of the North West Business Masters Exporter of the Year Award for the second year running in 2016 – employs more than 1,000 people in 17 countries, and specialises in clean energy generators at places including Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals and the Shard in London.
American buyout firms like KKR and TA Associates are reported to be circling with Guy Hands, who leads private equity firm Terra Firma, also monitoring the sale.
Clarke Energy recently signed an agreement with US company GE to supply Jenbacher gas engines to a huge swathe of the American Midwest.
