19. SEP 2024 10.10ArbejdsmarkedErhvervØkonomi
High interest rates have dampened the investment appetite of Aarhus-based Obton, which mainly invests in solar cell projects. The company has otherwise been busy in recent years and currently has a pipeline of 5 GW of solar cell parks under development. However, the increased costs are now causing the company to change its strategy to ensure profitability in the future.
The new strategic focus also means that the sale of new investment projects will be suspended, so that no new projects will be offered, Obton said in a press release.
The consequence of this change is a major restructuring of the Obton organization, where it has been assessed that it is necessary to cut a total of 45 positions.
- There should be no doubt that it has been one of the most difficult decisions in Obton's history to say goodbye to so many talented and well-liked employees who have played a crucial role in making Obton what it is today. But we must also recognize that the market is in a different place today, and therefore it is necessary to change course, says Anders Marcus, CEO and partner in Obton.
Will consolidate activities
With the new strategy, Obton wants to consolidate all activities in one joint company in collaboration with our investors.
"More specifically, our ambition is to collaborate with the many Obton funds that we have offered over the years to create an energy group that develops and owns solar parks and battery parks. The energy group could become among the largest of its kind on a European level with a portfolio of more than DKK 30 billion distributed across more than 1,000 solar and battery parks across large parts of the world," Obton states in the press release.
Such a collaboration will make it attractive to investors because there will be greater economies of scale, which could improve value creation.
- It is our ambition to make Obton a globally leading and independent energy company, spanning a large part of the value chain with solid experience in the development and operation of solar parks and battery parks. It is our wish that this should happen in collaboration with our investors, so that we stand shoulder to shoulder to a much greater extent than before, says Anders Marcus.
Believe in the future
Obton is part of the Obton Group, which also includes the sister company Koncenton, which offers real estate investments to semi-professional and professional investors with a similar concept. In Koncenton, we are experiencing an improving market, and it is expected that it will pick up within a foreseeable period.
Overall, this is a major strategic restructuring of the companies under Obton Group, and Chairman of the Board Mike Winkel is looking forward to this.
- Developments in recent years have shown that there is a need to rethink our strategy and collaborate with investors to an even greater extent. We are now setting a new and promising course for Obton Group, which can make us a significant player in the energy market in Europe, and which will help to further accelerate the green transition. Therefore, there is full support for the new strategy from the Board, says Mike Winkel.
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