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HomeAlpiq GroupMedia RelationsMedia releases

Alpiq acquires 10% of Forces Motrices d’Orsières SA

09/13/2024, 09:00

Liddes, Orsières and Lausanne – In connection with the renewal of the hydropower concessions of Forces Motrices d’Orsières SA, the primary assemblies of the municipalities of Orsières and Liddes have authorised the sale of 10% of the company to Alpiq from 19 January 2027, for a duration of 80 years. Alpiq submitted a convincing tender and this acquisition will enable it to expand its portfolio of hydropower plants. Between the Orsières and Niollet power plants, the facility produces approximately 110 GWh per year, which is enough to supply 24,500 households with electricity.

Ahead of the standard renewal of the hydropower concessions of Forces Motrices d’Orsières, the municipalities of Liddes and Orsières issued a call for tenders in mid-2023. Having analysed the tenders received, the Commission Intercommunale du Retour (Inter-Municipal Commission for the Return of Concessions) unanimously accepted Alpiq’s submission. This decision was approved by the primary assemblies of Orsières and Liddes on 11 and 12 September respectively. Alpiq will become a partner of Forces Motrices d’Orsières, with a 10% stake, from 19 January 2027. In accordance with the Act on the Use of Hydropower, the Canton of Valais will acquire 30% of the Orsières plant. The remaining 60% will be held by the granting municipalities of Liddes and Orsières. This means that Alpiq has obtained a new concession and will expand its portfolio of hydropower plants in Valais.
“In Forces Motrices Valaisannes and Alpiq, we have found solid partners for the long-term management of Orsières’ hydropower plants and the electricity they produce,” says Stève Lattion, President of the Municipality of Liddes. Joachim Rausis, President of the Municipality of Orsières, agrees: “With these three future shareholders, Forces Motrices d’Orsières will remain mainly in Valais hands and will benefit from the knowledge of an internationally recognised expert in hydropower management.”

A balanced offer

As a partner, Alpiq will bring proven expertise in hydroelectric power and energy marketing to Forces Motrices d’Orsières and all its shareholders. The collaborative approach outlined in its tender convinced the granting municipalities. The company has committed to paying half of the concession sale price at the start of 2027. It will pay the municipalities an amount equivalent to at least the remaining half in the form of resource rent. This means that, each year, Alpiq will pay an agreed percentage of its annual earnings corresponding to its holding.
“This arrangement will enable the municipalities to manage the potential risks of managing a hydropower facility over the long term, and also to benefit from the opportunities – i.e. uncapped earnings – that it will generate on the basis of electricity prices on the markets. It is an innovative approach that will enable Alpiq, for the first time, to become a partner in a facility in which it did not initially hold a stake,” explains Amédée Murisier, Alpiq’s Head of Switzerland. 

For more information about the Municipality of Liddes, please visit www.liddes.ch
For more information about the Municipality of Orsières, please visit www.orsieres.ch
For more information about Alpiq, please visit www.alpiq.com