The European Commission has approved the acquisition of Lampiris, the third-largest supplier of gas and renewable power to the Belgium residential sector, by the French giant oil and gas company Total. The companies' activities overlap on a number of markets, however the European Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns.
Lampiris supplies electricity and gas on the Belgian retail market; in 2015, it accounted for around 4.6% of the electricity sales on the retail market (8.5% of the delivery points with 720,000 points), and for 4.2% of sales on the gas retail market (10.8% of customers with 350,000 customers).
This acquisition is in line with Total's new climate strategy for the next 20 years, announced in May 2016. The group will focus on improving the carbon intensity of its production mix, developing renewable energies and improving energy efficiency. Total aims to become one of the top three solar player in the solar energy industry within the next 20 years, by expanding its activities across the solar PV chain, including distribution.