5.2 Companies sold

Sale of the Engineering Services business

In 2018, Alpiq sold the Engineering Services business, which comprised the Alpiq InTec Group and the Kraftanlagen Group. As part of the sale of the Engineering Services business, Alpiq must bear any fines and costs of Equans Germany SE (formerly Kraftanlagen Energies & Services GmbH; “Equans”) resulting from the proceedings started by the state prosecutor of Munich I and the German Federal Cartel Office in the first quarter of 2015.

In the course of these proceedings, in December 2019, the German Federal Cartel Office imposed a fine of EUR 47.5 million (previous year: CHF 44.2 million) on Equans. Equans refuted the allegations and filed an appeal against the administrative order imposing the fine. In 2022, after several hearings at the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf, Equans was deemed guilty on two of the indictments and the fine was reassessed at EUR 21 million (CHF 19.8 million). Both the Federal Cartel Office and Equans appealed to the Federal Court of Justice.

In its verdict of 17 September 2024, the Federal Court of Justice confirmed the conviction of Equans by the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf and herewith the fine of EUR 21 million (CHF 19.8 million) became final. In addition, the Federal Court of Justice rejected the acquittal decision of the remaining projects and sent the case back to the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf for reassessment.