Oil and gas multinational BP has taken full ownership of Lightsource BP, completing an acquisition first announced in November 2023. The deal for the outstanding 50.03% of the onshore renewables developer not owned by BP was closed for a reported GBP 400 million ($519 million). Approximately GBP 200 million of the price related to passing through proceeds from asset sales made before the acquisition was complete.
Founded in 2010 as Lightsource Renewables Energy, Lightsource BP is expected to continue operating under a standalone model, as well as retaining its independent brand under BP’s ownership. The oil company first invested in the Lightsource business in 2017, acquiring a 42% stake in the company for a reported $200 million investment.
Following the takeover, BP has consolidated Lightsource BP’s finance debt and eliminated an existing guarantee issued by BP. The oil and gas giant has stated it may also bring a strategic partner into the business “in due course.”
Lightsource BP has a 62 GW project development pipeline with operations spanning 19 global markets. Significant projects include a 560 MW solar plant in Greece, which is currently under construction. In August 2024. The company sold two ÚS solar arrays totaling 395 MW capacity to Jera Nex, a renewable energy developer launched by Japanese power generation company Jera.
In a statement, William Lin, BP’s executive vice president for gas and low carbon energy, said the deal creates an “engine for onshore renewable power development at BP.”
Joaquin Oliveira, group chief executive at Lightsource BP, added: “I’m excited to begin the next chapter, taking Lightsource BP to a new level of profitability, growth and performance. We will continue to scale this successful business, and also apply its capabilities to support BP’s low carbon energy business.”
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.