Paris, June 2024. Astris advises Ardian in connection with its acquisition of a majority stake in UNITe, a French independent renewable energy developer and producer.

Astris Finance congratulates its client Ardian, one of the world's leading private equity firms, who has now become the largest shareholder of UNITe, through its Clean Energy Evergreen Fund (ACEEF). This investment strengthens Ardian's renewable energy portfolio in the areas of hydropower, photovoltaic and wind energy. Omnes and Bpifrance who invested in 2018, and Société Générale Capital Partenaires who invested in 2010, have agreed to sell their stake in UNITe to Ardian after successfully achieving the objective of consolidating UNITe as an independent power producer and developer.

UNITe – Hydrowatt (UNITe) group is the leading independent player in small hydropower in France, with 36 power plants, and one of the most promising photovoltaic developers with projects in France with a total capacity of 1.5 GWp expected in the coming years. Ardian's long-term support will allow UNITe to accelerate the implementation of its renewable energy growth strategy.

"The addition of UNITe to Ardian's portfolio is an exceptional opportunity. We are delighted to partner with this historic family business and support the management team in its ambitious growth plan. We would also like to thank the Astris team for the instrumental role they played all along the transaction." Benjamin Kennedy, Managing Director Renewables Infrastructure, Ardian.

This transaction strengthens Astris’s position in the M&A renewable sector in Europe, where it is currently working on 11 live transactions.

Astris acted as exclusive financial advisor to Ardian.