Umicore has reached an agreement to sell its Zinc Chemicals business unit to OpenGate Capital, a US-based private equity firm with a focus on developing a broad portfolio of high-quality industrial activities.
The transaction places an enterprise value of € 142.4 million on the business and is expected to be closed during the second half of 2016, subject to standard regulatory approvals.
Commenting on the transaction, Umicore CEO Marc Grynberg said: “We are delighted to have concluded this deal. Zinc Chemicals has an outstanding portfolio of products and operations and our colleagues have done a great job to position the business as a leader in its market segments. The new owner has a clear industrial project and will provide the business with the means to further develop and grow.”
BNP Paribas and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton acted as Umicore’s advisers in the transaction.
Source: Umicore
France has launched an offshore green hydrogen production platform at the country’s Port of Saint-Nazaire this week, along with its first offshore wind farm. The hydrogen plant, which its operators say is the world’s first facility of its type, coincides with the launch of another “first of its kind” facility in Sweden dedicated to storing hydrogen in an underground lined rock cavern (LRC).
The project sets up the Hydrogen Valley in Rome, the first industrial-scale technological hub for the development of the national supply chain for the production, transport, storage and use of hydrogen for the decarbonization of industrial processes and for sustainable mobility.
At first glance, hydrogen seems to be the perfect solution to our energy needs. It doesn’t produce any carbon dioxide when used. It can store energy for long periods of time. It doesn’t leave behind hazardous waste materials, like nuclear does. And it doesn’t require large swathes of land to be flooded, like hydroelectricity. Seems too good to be true. So…what’s the catch?
