Active Utilities strengthens its position as Australia’s largest independent embedded network platform with the acquisition of Real Utilities

• The acquisition follows Active’s integration with Savant Energy and Watts Energy
• Real Utilities is the carbon-neutral energy business established by Frasers Property Australia
• The combined business will manage over 100,000 meter connection points nationally

Active Utilities, Australia’s largest independent provider of local utility networks, has acquired Frasers Property Australia’s carbon-neutral energy retailing business, Real Utilities.

Established by Frasers Property Australia in 2017 and owned by it since, Real Utilities is an Australian embedded network energy business that delivers carbon neutral energy to more than 3,000 customers across the residential, retail, industrial and commercial sectors.

The acquisition of Real Utilities by Active is a significant step in its market expansion strategy, which follows the recent merger with Savant Energy and the acquisition of Watts Energy, enabling Active to broaden its service offering and deliver enhanced solutions to its customers.

Both Active Utilities and Real Utilities have strong contracted growth and current sales pipelines that will significantly expand the portfolio over the next five years when combined.

Lisa Dowie, CEO of Active Utilities, says: “The acquisition of the Real Utilities business is a significant step in positioning Active Utilities as the leading provider of local utility network solutions in Australia. The two businesses share a passion for providing exceptional customer experiences and have similar approaches when it comes to sharing the value that local utility networks create.

“Frasers Property’s investment in embedded renewable energy networks to power sustainability initiatives across the Real Utilities portfolio will complement and further strengthen our position in the Australian energy transition.

“With the addition of powerful solutions for EV charging, solar, and batteries and storage, Active is perfectly positioned to assist multi-tenant buildings in meeting the challenges of the future and adding Real Utilities into our offering solidifies that position,” says Ms Dowie.

With the integration of the Real Utilities business, Active’s local utility networks encompass embedded networks for electricity, centralised hot water and centralised air-conditioning solutions, and will include over 100,000 meter point connections across all sectors and utility types.

Anita Hoskins, Chief Financial Officer, Frasers Property Australia and General Manager of Real Utilities says the sale aligns with Frasers Property Australia’s strategy to redeploy capital to its core assets.

“As a development and investment business with a longstanding focus on Australia’s eastern seaboard, our strategy is to recycle capital to pursue new opportunities in our core markets,” Ms Hoskins says.

“Real Utilities has contributed to our business performance in recent years and has grown into a strong, stand-alone business with attractive growth prospects. As a non-core asset, the time is right for us to divest to a specialist energy company with the scale and expertise to take the business forward, while ensuring our customers continue to be well supported,” she says.