Last Year Another Record-Breaker For Utility Takeovers

摘要

Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the electricity and gas utilities sector broke records yet again in 2007, with the industry showing a 25% jump in the total value of deals done, to 372.5 billion. At least the rate of increase is slowing somewhat, however: This year's 25% jump compares to a 52% year-on-year leap in 2006, industry consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) notes in its 2007 annual review of the sector (WGI Jan.24,p7). Also, mega-deals were less common in 2007 than in 2006, as the political and regulatory climate became less open to such transactions.