French IPP Voltalia has appointed a new CEO, Robert Klein, as former executive Sebastien Clerc steps down after 13 years.
The firm did not provide any business-related reason for the change.
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Robert Klein established Voltalia’s Brazilian business in 2006 and has since taken responsibility for its South American and North African operations. He will assume the role from 1st January, 2025.
Klein said: “I am honoured by the mandate entrusted to me and I count on all the teams with the support of the Board of Directors to, together, lead Voltalia to new horizons.”
Voltalia posted increased turnovers in its financial results for the first half of 2024. It also recorded €15.7 million (US$17.4 million) in net losses for the period, which it attributed to the “seasonality” of the renewable energy market.
The firm’s total renewable energy capacity has almost doubled since 2021 to over 17GW, including projects at all stages of development and operations.
In addition to its core European operations, North Africa and South America – Klein’s former business remit – have become significant areas of development for Voltalia. In May, the firm announced plans to build a 130MW PV plant in Tunisia, and in July it inked a framework agreement to build a 2.5GW solar and wind portfolio in Egypt.
The latter deal was signed with Egyptian engineering firm Taqa Arabia during the Egypt-EU Investment Conference held in late June. Reuters reported that the conference resulted in around €40 billion of deals signed between European firms and Egypt, centring on Egypt’s strategic location for renewable energy exports.
An October report from Rystad Energy found that potential interconnections between Europe and North Africa could support up to 24GW of new renewable energy capacity. North Africa has an abundance of land, wind and solar irradiance which could support increased electrification in Europe. Voltalia is one of a number of European firms to have invested in the region.
