General GNX News, page-1498

This came up for me as a public Google search:

Renewable energy group Genex Power is fattening up its defence, fearing it could be the next company in the sector to attract a deep-pocketed suitor.It is understood Genex Power took pitches from a handful of investment banks for the defence role, before appointing an adviser to watch over its shoulder.Genex Power’s Kidston pumped hydro and solar project in North Queensland. SuppliedGenex Power founder and executive director Simon Kidston declined to comment on Wednesday, but he would be well aware that just about everything in renewables that isn’t bolted down has attracted bids in the past year or two.Genex owns the operating 50MW Kidston Solar Project in Queensland, is part way through building (and has funded) a 250MW pumped storage hydro project by the same name and is developing a 150MW wind farm, among a handful of other projects.Importantly, as far as infrastructure-minded tyrekickers are concerned, its flagship 250MW Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project is backed by a 10-year contract with Energy Australia, with two ten-year options to extend in the electricity retailer’s favour.

It remains to be seen whether Genex Power’s moves are worthwhile or paranoid. It is the sort of ambitious energy play that has attracted quite a few tyrekickers in the past three years, however remains listed on the ASX-boards with a $250 million-odd market value. Bankers reckon it has previously been hard to make the numbers stack up, and were waiting to see more of Genex’s projects get into production.It comes as infrastructure investors have snapped up Tilt Renewables, which went to QIC and AGL Energy-backed PowAR in a red-hot auction, wind farm owner Infigen Energy and even tiddler Winlab, all in the past year or so.The obvious place to look for a Genex Power suitor would be the company’s share register. Japan’s J-Power snapped up a 10 per cent stake in May, having already signed an agreement construction of the group’s hydro project and help fund a new wind project.Other suitors kicking around Australia’s renewable energy generators include domestic infrastructure funds and offshore strategic types, including Infigen owner Iberdrola and Philippines-backed investment company UAC .