NEWS

The renewables business formerly known as Scatec Solar has added a 2.5 GW hydropower portfolio in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa and also added its first wind farm while reporting a consolidated loss of more than $65 million for the year.

The $1.17 billion acquisition of formerly state-owned hydropower company SN Power helped renewables developer Scatec ASA accumulate a record 10.5 GW clean energy project pipeline by the end of the year.

Scatec – known as Scatec Solar until the addition of SN Power's 2.5 GW of hydro assets in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa – today confirmed it had completed the acquisition from Norwegian state-owned investor Norfund, to add the hydro portfolio “after transaction close.”

With Scatec swelling its own pipeline 800 MW last year – including its first wind farm – the company hit the 10.5 GW mark with the addition of planned assets in South Africa and Vietnam. The developer also added the 150 MW Sukkur project in Pakistan to its list of ‘backlog' projects which have secured firm electricity offtake agreements and are 90% certain of completion.

In this morning's financial update, Oslo-based Scatec reported fourth-quarter “proportionate” revenue of NOK497 million ($57.8 million), gross earnings of NOK223 million and a power production figure that was 37% higher than in the corresponding period of 2019, at 407 GWh. Scatec's October-to-December “consolidated” result, however, was a net loss of NOK561 million on the back of NOK679 million revenue and gross earnings of NOK448 million.

pv magazine has contacted Scatec ASA to seek to understand the difference between the proportionate and consolidated figures.

Despite the annual loss, the board sanctioned a NOK1.09/share ($0.13) dividend for 2020, based on full year proportionate revenue of NOK2.84 billion ($330 million) and gross earnings of NOK1.3 billion. No consolidated full-year figures were included in the update.

The company said power generation for 2020 had risen 44%, year-on-year, with CEO Raymond Carlsen announcing: “In 2020, we made the greatest expansion since our establishment by broadening our growth strategy and acquiring SN Power.”