TotalEnergies to Expand UK Footprint with £450 Million Acquisition

TotalEnergies has entered into a strategic £450 million acquisition of the West Burton B gas-fired power station in Nottinghamshire from EIG, marking a significant expansion of its role as a comprehensive electricity provider in the UK. The announcement, made late last week, detailed the purchase of all shares in West Burton Energy, which owns the facility.

Operational since 2013, West Burton B is equipped with three combined-cycle gas turbines (CCGT) that together generate 1.3 GW of power, sufficient to supply approximately 1.8 million UK households. In 2018, a battery storage system enhanced the plant's functionality, establishing it as one of the UK's top-tier power stations.

TotalEnergies described this acquisition as crucial for supporting the UK's renewable energy sector, providing a reliable, flexible asset to counterbalance the intermittency of renewable sources and ensure consistent power delivery. The company's current UK renewable energy portfolio includes 1.1 GW of installed capacity and another 4.5 GW under development. Despite this, TotalEnergies plans to maintain around 700MW of gas-based power capacity and intends to divest about half of the power generated by the newly acquired plant.

This acquisition not only bolsters TotalEnergies' ability to trade effectively within the UK's electricity and gas markets but also enhances its capacity to deliver energy that is both sustainable and competitively priced to its 300,000 electricity and gas customers across the UK. Additionally, TotalEnergies will supply the plant by tapping into its substantial natural gas production operations within the UK.

With this latest acquisition, TotalEnergies significantly augments its global portfolio, which now includes approximately 7 GW of flexible power generation and 23 GW of renewable capacity, affirming its position as a significant player in the worldwide energy sector.

"I am delighted to welcome the West Burton B team to TotalEnergies," said Stéphane Michel, president of gas, renewables and power at TotalEnergies. "This acquisition contributes to our integrated strategy in the UK, which combines renewable and flexible generation capacity. It complements our 1.1 GW Seagreen offshore wind farm and allows us to accelerate the development of our Integrated Power activities in power generation, trading and marketing in this market," he added. "The deal also contributes directly to our 2028 ROACE target of around 12 per cent in this business sector."