Gaz de France Merger with Suez

Abstract

On July 16, 2007, Gaz de France (GDF) was acquired by ENGIE SA in a reverse merger deal. On September 3, 2007, European giant Gaz de France and Suez made the announcement to merge in a €70 billion (£47 billion) deal which created the world’s fourth largest energy company. This merger created Europe’s second largest electricity and gas group. The merger was engineered as a part of a deal to thwart a possible foreign takeover attempt from Enel, the Italian utility firm. As a part of the deal, Suez had to divest 65% of its environment activities. Suez spun off its water and waste businesses which were valued at €20 billion. Gaz de France swapped 21 of its shares for 22 of Suez. The merger between Gaz de France and Suez created a global energy leader with leadership position in natural gas and electricity. The combined firm created a diversified, flexible energy supply stream with high-performance electricity production base.