EnergyAustralia Pty Ltd's Hong Kong-headquartered owner has confirmed it is “exploring opportunities” for its Australian energy business as it searches for a long-term partner to finance investment in renewable energy. In its first public statement on a possible sale of part of EnergyAustralia, CLP Holdings Limited (SEHK:2) said it was looking for “a long-term committed partner to jointly invest in opportunities arising from the energy transition”. The statement was in response to a report in The Australian Financial Review that Macquarie Group Limited (ASX:MQG) had emerged among parties interested in acquiring up to 50% of EnergyAustralia, the country's third-biggest electricity and gas supplier, in what would be a multibillion-dollar deal.

“At this stage, the company is continuing to explore all options and there is no certainty that a transaction will materialise or, if it materialises, be completed,” a CLP spokeswoman said on June 19, 2023. Macquarie declined to comment, and sources close to discussions said a deal was not imminent. Other potential partners for EnergyAustralia are expected to have been sounded out by CLP, with sources suggesting Spanish renewable energy group Iberdrola, S.A. (BME:IBE), which was outbid by Squadron for wind and solar developer CWP Renewables late last year, could be interested.