Following the approvals from the Hungarian Competition Office (GVH) and Energy and Public Utility Regulatory Authority (MEKH), Hungarian company Opus Global has acquired full ownership of Matra Energy Holding, which owns 77.26 % stake in Hungarian largest thermal power plant Matra.
In late March, just a few days after the acquisition of controlling stake in Matrai Eromu through joint venture with EPH, Opus Global announced that it will buy out the share of its Czech partner in Matra Energy Holding. Status Power Invest, a wholly owned subsidiary of Opus Global, acquired a 36.33 % stake in Matrai Eromu, through the joint venture Matra Energy Holding, equally owned with Czech energy company EPH. Now, Opus Global is planning to acquire EPH’s stake in the joint venture in two stages – first in will obtain additional 35 % share in Matra Energy Holding, while the remaining 15 % will be acquired following regulatory approval. Opus Global plans to complete the transaction by mid-2019.
The two companies justify this decision by saying that their concepts differed regarding the longterm operational and development strategy. Opus Global is controlled by Hungarian businessman Lorinc Meszaros, a close ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Since state-owned Hungarian Electricity Works (MVM) holds 26.15 % stake in the company, the largest TPP in the country will be again in Hungarian hands.
Matrai Eromu is Hungary’s second biggest electricity producer, generating about 15 % of the country’s electricity. This lignite-fired thermal power plant has an installed capacity of 1.000 MW.
