Australia’s Macquarie Bank, together with a group of unnamed investors, has bought Thames Water for £4.8b plus £3.2b in debt. The water utility, which is owned by Germany’s RWE, supplies water to about 13 million people in London and the Thames Valley. It came into existence in 1974 when ten regional water companies were created through the Water Act of 1973. It was subsequently privatised by the then Conservative Government in 1989, and later bought by the German multi-utility firm RWE in 2001.
Today’s deal marks the end of a bidding battle that has attracted interests from a number of parties. These included buyout specialist Guy Hands and the Qatar Investment Office. And for Macquarie Bank, the acquisition represents another business to add to its burgeoning portfolio of assets. Its other UK businesses include Birmingham and Bristol Airports plus the M1-A1 Link and M6 toll roads. Additionally, through Arqiva, Macquarie Bank also owns the media company formerly known as ntl: broadcast. It was also interested in buying London Stock Exchange (LSE: LSE) and BAA, which was eventually sold to Spain’s Ferrovial….
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