Canton of Solothurn sells last Alpiq shares
The canton of Solothurn has sold its remaining Alpiq shares to the regional energy supplier IBB. The first tranches were sold to competitors Primeo Energie and Regio Energie Solothurn in September.
The canton of Solothurn has sold the last remaining block of shares in the Lausanne energy company Alpiq to the regional energy supplier IBB from Brugg. According to a press release from the State Chancellery, the total price for the share package is around CHF 26 million. The end result for the canton is a one-off realized profit of CHF 5.2 million.
The sale of these shares results from the reorganization of the Alpiq shareholder base. It essentially provides that three main groups of shareholders hold equal shares in Alpiq. These have agreed that in future they will purchase water from Alpiq in accordance with their respective share. For the government council of the canton of Solothurn, this is "entirely understandable and sensible for economic reasons". However, this obligation would mean "that he would inadvertently become a competitor of the regional energy suppliers as an electricity purchaser and trader". He wanted to avoid this.
That is why the canton had already sold a package of shares worth 113 million francs to Primeo Energie and Regio Energie Solothurn in September. As the announcement goes on to say, the price per share was then as it is today at 70 francs.