The concession agreement for the final section of the A150 motorway has been signed between the French government and the concession holder, ALBEA

The Rouen-Le Havre motorway link north of the Seine will be fully operational in 2015 thanks to the new Ecalles-Alix-Barentin section, the concession for which has been awarded to ALBEA.
 
ALBEA, the concession holder of the A150 motorway, is a special-purpose venture set up by the two construction groups, NGE and FAYAT, the InfraVia fund and Société Financière A150 (of which Luxembourg-based fund TIIC is a shareholder) to manage this concession.

The concession agreement signed with the French government, for a period of 55 years, covers the funding, design, construction, operation and maintenance of 18 km two by two lanes mortorway. The project includes the construction of a 470-meter bridge, to be known as the Austreberthe viaduct. In a particularly uncertain financial environment, ALBEA has been able to raise the necessary funding for this project, an amount of approximately €230 million, including an €80 million equity contribution from shareholders, €110 million in bank funding provided from various financial institutions, and the balance in subsidies from the French government and the Haute Normandie regional authority.

The history of the A150
The construction of a motorway link between Ecalles-Alix and Barentin was declared to be of public utility in 1998. The government subsequently decided to award a concession in 2008. The consortium led by NGE was designated in July 2011 as the pre-approved concession holder. Government decree n°2011-2011, dated December 28, 2011, subsequently approved the concession agreement with ALBEA.

The organization and construction of the planned motorway
After 15 months devoted to various studies, including the project's potential environmental impact –protection against noise, protection of the natural environmental and water resources, preservation of biodiversity –work is scheduled to start in early 2013, with the new section due to come into service in early 2015.

The work will be entrusted to a design and construction consortium, GIE A150, 50:50 owned by RAZEL (the public works subsidiary of the FAYAT Group) and NGE.

Once the work is completed, the operation and maintenance of the motorway will be passed on to “ALBEA Exploitation SAS”, a company set up by NGE and FAYAT to carry out these tasks.

For this transaction, the consortium has been assisted on legal matters by Orrick Rambaud Martel, in respect of financial engineering by Compagnie Benjamin de Rothschild and on technical aspects by teams from Mott MacDonald.

About NGE
 With over 6,000 employees and estimated 2011 revenue of €1.2 billion in France, NGE boasts a seamless offering in Public Works, combining its expertise in major infrastructure projects and its multi-business skills. NGE capitalizes on skills in six core business areas: Earthworks & Urban Infrastructures (GUINTOLI and its local subsidiaries), Hydraulic & other Underground networks (EHTP, MULLER TP, SLD TP, SOC, TPRN), Civil Engineering (around NGE Civil Engineering), Road Building and Road Equipment (SIORAT, AGILIS, SAMPIETRO), Geotechnics and Safety Works (with sub-group GTS) and Railway construction and maintenance (sub-group TSO). NGE has built up its financial strength over the years and has forged a center of excellence capable of designing and executing projects on behalf of national and regional contractors by adapting to new market forms and to prefinanced projects. It obtained the concession for the Falaise-Sées section of the A88 motorway as an agent of the Alicorne consortium, and is also involved in other concessions as consortium partner.
In all projects undertaken across France, the Group's teams take every step necessary to ensure the respect of the environment and the natural habitat; this principle includes innovation, research and initiatives to develop new solutions in public works. www.groupe-nge.fr

About FAYAT and RAZEL
With presence in over 100 countries and 18,000 employees, FAYAT is active in France and worldwide, providing efficient technical solutions for building and public works, steel construction, electricity, road equipment, handling material and boilers. The Group, which focuses primarily on partnerships, reported revenue of €3.2 billion in 2011.
 www.fayat.com
Building on its expertise in all areas of public works, underground works, large civil engineering projects, earthworks, road building and its ability to manage large projects, RAZEL, a subsidiary of FAYAT, is active in the civil engineering industry, hydraulic and transport infrastructure and major export projects.
www.razel.fr

About the InfraVia fund
The InfraVia fund is managed by the InfraVia OFI management company, a subsidiary of OFI specializing in infrastructure fund management. Established in 2008, the InfraVia fund is positioned as a long-term investor in projects and assets covering the full breadth of the infrastructure and renewable energy sectors. With a target size of approximately €200 million, the fund focuses primarily on the eurozone and assets that generate regular income over the long term.
www.ofi-infravia.com
 
About SF A150
SF A150 is owned by construction companies NGE and FAYAT, and by the Luxembourg-based TIIC fund established in 2008 to invest in transport infrastructure projects in Europe and America, and whose principal shareholders are Brisa Auto Estradas de Portugal, Millennium BCP and Compagnie Benjamin de Rothschild.
www.tiic.pt

Media contacts:
ALBEA – NGE: Katia NATAF, NGE press officer – Tel: 06 60 72 33 39 – knataf@groupe-nge.fr
FAYAT: Marie Dubois, communications officer – Tel: 06 78 33 88 94 m.dubois@fayat.com
RAZEL: Isabelle Sacquet, communications officer – Tel: 01 69 85 69 93 isacquet@razel.fr
OFI INFRAVIA: Vincent Levita, Chairman – Tel: +33 11 40 68 17 38 vlevita@ofi-infravia.com
GROUPE OFI: Anne-Françoise Lacoste – Tel: +33 1 40 68 17 66 alacoste@ofi-am.fr
TIIC: Manuel Cary – Tel: + 351 214449115 manuel.cary@tiic.pt