Spain's Cox buys Iberdrola's Mexican assets in $4.2 billion deal
Iberdrola controls six wind parks and three solar parks in Mexico, according to its website, as well as other power plants including gas and cogeneration.
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Could Sheikh feel the heat over solar panels at his 63,000-acre Highland estate?
The billionaire ruler of Dubai added solar panels to a property on his vast Highland estate without obtaining the key planning permission required in advance. Representatives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum - one of the world's richest men with an estimated £11billion fortune - have now filed relevant paperwork with Highland Council to get the green light for the installation at the 63,000-acre Inverinate estate in Wester Ross. The environmentally friendly technology was put in place at Lochview house to the west of the main estate house in a bid to 'enhance the building's sustainability performance' while having 'minimal' visual impact. Retrospective planning permission is also being sought for additional installations at Lochview such as a new staff room, and a ring road connection to improve site circulation and access for service vehicles. A design statement submitted to Highland Council states: 'Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels have been installed on the roof to enhance the building's sustainability performance in line with national and local renewable energy goals. Their location ensures minimal visual impact.' The document from Colin Armstrong Architects also states: 'The PV panels demonstrate a clear commitment to environmental responsibility and align with Highland Council's carbon reduction targets.' The solar panels progress the Sheikh's support of this renewable source of energy, and he is behind the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai. The facility is billed as the largest single-site solar park in the world, and supports the city's aim to produce all of its energy from clean sources by 2050. However, the plans at Inverinate come amid longstanding questions from locals after years of building works at the site, which is located on the banks of Loch Duich, a haven for wildlife such as red deer, Eurasian otters, pipistrelles, west European hedgehogs, and harbour seals. Some people living in the area have previously accused the Sheikh of building a 'mini Dubai' at the estate that he visits only once or twice a year. The 74-year-old bought the property more than two decades ago, and his representatives say major expansion implemented in recent years is to make more room for guests and staff. The Sheikh is one of the UK's biggest landowners with a portfolio spanning more than 100,000 acres, while he developed a friendship with the late Queen through their mutual love of horses, often appearing as her guest at Ascot. Inverinate, whose considerable facilities include several helipads, a hunting lodge and a pool, was recently given the go-ahead to build a tenth on-site property with 15 bedrooms, a large living room and dining room area, and a conservatory. That came after the Sheikh in 2020 won a long battle to create the six-bedroom Ptarmigan Lodge on the estate, despite more than 30 local objections. The application was granted on condition of a £30,000 payment towards local affordable housing. A statement from his representatives submitted to Highland Council regarding the latest plans said: 'This retrospective application reflects necessary and beneficial modifications made during the construction and operational planning phases. The proposed changes are minor in scale relative to the approved development and are fully justified in terms of functional necessity, sustainability, and design integrity. We respectfully request that The Highland Council support this application.'
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Eurobank to distribute interim dividend after strong first half
ATHENS, July 31 (Reuters) - Greek lender Eurobank ( opens new tab, the country's largest by market capitalisation, said on Thursday that it will distribute an interim dividend of 170 million euros after announcing a strong profit for the first half of the year. The bank reported adjusted net earnings for the January-June period of 711 million euros ($812.96 million), slightly down from a record profit of 732 million euros a year earlier. Chief Executive Fokion Karavias told analysts on a call that profit was "progressing according to our expectations". "For the full year 2025 we have been committed to at least a 50% payout ratio... meaning that this may be higher than 50%," Karavias said, pointing to stronger than expected loan growth. Greek banks are returning to profit after they were nationalised following a financial meltdown in late 2009 amid the country's debt crisis, requiring several capital injections from the government. They were fully privatised last year. The European Central Bank (ECB) has approved requests by Greece's four largest lenders to resume dividend payments for 2024 after 16 years, a further sign of the sector's recovery and the country's economic rebound. Eurobank, which also operates in Bulgaria and Cyprus, said in a statement that its net interest income rose 12% year-on-year to 1.27 billion euros while its non-performing loan exposure (NPE) ratio fell to 2.8% from 3.1% a year earlier. Net fees jumped 29% to 364 million euros, mainly boosted by network activities and its wealth management business. ($1 = 0.8746 euros)
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Chelsea have spent eye-watering £360MILLION on defenders in three years – but how many of them were worth it?
THE arrival of £37million Jorrel Hato takes Chelsea's spending on defenders under their new owners past a record-shattering £360m. Yet the Blues back four which lines up against Crystal Palace on the opening weekend of the new season may well include just one player who cost a fee. Marc Cucurella, who came in from Brighton three years ago in a deal worth up to £62m, is the biggest success of Chelsea 's hit-and-miss defensive recruitment. The signing of Hato is a major coup for the Blues, with Liverpool and Arsenal among the other major clubs who wanted the talented and versatile teenager. The young Dutchman is the 12th defender brought in since the consortium led by Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly took over the club in May 2022. But Cucurella, a Euro 2024 winner with Spain, is the only member of the current Chelsea back four that you would describe as world class. And if Chelsea are to win domestic and European titles, they will need more defenders to reach that level. To be fair, Enzo Maresca 's side can already claim to be world champions. To beat a flair-filled Paris Saint-Germain side 3-0, just weeks after they had spanked Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final, was an impressive achievement. The back four which started the Club World Cup final was left back Cucurella, homegrown centre backs Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah, and right back Malo Gusto. The Frenchman, now 22, could end up costing Chelsea £30.7m after signing from Lyon in January 2023 and spending the rest of that season on loan back at the French club. Gusto has done a decent, sometimes very good, job at right back. He covered for the long injury-related absences of Reece James over the last two seasons and kept his place when James was employed in midfield - as he was against PSG. 8 8 But if you believe Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez will start the biggest games in front of the defence, and James will mostly play as an inverted right back when he is fit, then Gusto will not be in Enzo Maresca's strongest 11. Chalobah did well after returning from half a season on loan at Crystal Palace, but could yet find himself being sold this summer. As a product of the Chelsea Academy, he would generate pure profit for financial rules purposes and there could be clubs willing to pay £40m for him. If Chalobah left, his replacement as right-sided centre back at the start of the season would almost certainly be Tosin Adarabioyo. The free transfer from Fulham last summer has carved a niche for himself off the pitch as well as on it. At just 27 he is one of the senior members of the squad, and plays an 'Uncle Tosin' role to the youngsters, enjoying a particularly close relationship with fellow Mancunian Cole Palmer. But no-one, not even Tosin himself, would claim that he is one of Europe's best defenders. If Wesley Fofana is able to put his injury hell behind him and rediscover his previous form, he could yet meet those standards and become a Chelsea stalwart for years to come. Fofana, still just 24, has made only 34 appearances for the Blues since arriving from Leicester in the summer of 2022 in a deal worth up to £75m. He is the most expensive of all Chelsea's defensive signings and that means, through no fault of his own, he has also been the biggest let down. But only just. The Blues really have had trouble finding a settled and satisfactory centre back pairing. Within weeks of the 2022 takeover, Kalidou Koulibaly became the new regime's first defensive signing. The Napoli star's £35m fee felt a little steep for a player about to turn 31, but the Senegal international was highly-rated and on the radar of other big clubs. Koulibaly failed to live up to his billing, although he could point to the chaos of playing under three different managers and a hamstring injury as decent explanations. He was offloaded after just one season to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal - and played for them in this year's Club World Cup. When Chelsea set a new record for winter window spending in early 2023, Benoit Badiashile 's £35m arrival from Monaco went a little under the radar in the wake of massive deals for Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk. The Frenchman did fine in a struggling team in the remainder of the 22/23 season, but not well enough to seal his spot. And when injury kept Badiashile out of the start of the following campaign, Colwill took his chance after returning from loan at Brighton. 8 8 8 Meanwhile the unfortunate Fofana had suffered the second major knee injury of his short Chelsea career in the summer of 2023. Within weeks, the Blues had gone back to Monaco to bring in Axel Disasi for another £38m. The France international was a first choice under Mauricio Pochettino for much of the 2023/4 season. But new boss Maresca did not fancy Disasi, and he was sent on loan to Aston Villa for the second half of last season. The signing of Hato, 19, fits Chelsea's current transfer philosophy of signing the best young players and trying to turn them into superstars. If they fail, they can usually be sold on for a profit, as is likely to be the case with Renato Veiga. The versatile Portuguese was signed only last summer, did well enough to earn a loan to Juventus for the second half of the season and could find himself joining Atletico Madrid for a chunky fee. In addition to Veiga, Chelsea signed two teenage defenders last summer in centre back Aaron Anselmino and left back Caleb Wiley. The latter has now returned to Watford for a second season on loan, while Anselmino may well also leave on a temporary deal after recovering from injury. Mamadou Sarr, 19, is likely to be loaned back to Strasbourg after the Blues paid £12m to their sister club. Hato is also 19 but at a fee of £37m, he will surely need to deliver for Chelsea this season. The Blues will probably ease him in, perhaps initially as cover for left back Cucurella. In the longer term, Hato should end up challenging Colwill for that left-sided centre back slot or forming a partnership with the England international. And finally, after spending more on defenders than any club, Chelsea could end up with a world-class back four to show for it. 8
