Clarke Energy boosts South African presence with double deal
CLARKE Enegy has strengthened its presence in South Africa with two strategic acquisitions.
The Knowsley-based group, which specialising in the sale, engineering, installation and maintenance of power plants using gas engines worldwide, has bought long-term partner GE’s South African Jenbacher gas engines Service Business and also Agaricus Trading Pty Ltd, official sales representative of GE Jenbacher in the region.
In parallel, Clarke Energy has been awarded the status of Jenbacher gas engines distributor and service provider in South Africa, Mozambique and Botswana.
The £200m turnover company, which has ramped-up its international presence since selling a minority stake to ECI Partners in August 2012, says the latest deals will boost its growth prospects in Africa. Last year it set up a base in Tanzania covering the east of the continent.
Opportunities are strong in South Africa, Mozambique and Botswana, with high demand for electricity and gas reserves that can be used for power.
GE’s South African Service Business was established in 2009 to deliver aftersales support for the Jenbacher product in the region. Agaricus Trading Pty Ltd is a South African company that has acted as sales representative for GE’s Jenbacher product in the region since 2005. Jointy the two newly-acquired businesses employ around 12 people.
Jamie Clarke, chief executive of Clarke Energy said: “The strategic acquisition of GE’s service hub and Agaricus Trading will enable us to support Jenbacher customers from sale through to engineering, installation and maintenance of their gas fuelled generation equipment.”
Darryl Wilson chief commercial officer of GE Power & Water’s Distributed Power business, added: “Given Clarke Energy’s strong service presence in Africa, our decision to sell our South Africa Service Business and sign the new distribution agreements with Clarke Energy combined with their acquisition of Agaricus Trading enables us to even better meet the local demand for our cleaner industrial and municipal on-site power solutions.”
