U.K. Regulator Partially Clears Pennon's Acquisition of Bristol Water
U.K. Regulator Partially Clears Pennon's Acquisition of Bristol Water
By Ian Walker
伊恩·沃克(Ian Walker)著
The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority said Friday that it won't refer Pennon Group PLC's acquisition of Bristol Water Holdings UK Ltd. for a further review under the Enterprise Act 2002.
英国竞争和市场管理局周五表示，不会根据2002年“企业法”对Pennon Group PLC收购布里斯托尔水务控股英国有限公司(Bristol Water Holdings UK Ltd.)一事进行进一步审查。
However, the regulator said that it is still considering whether to refer the deal for a phase 2 investigation under the Water Industry Act 1991.
然而，监管机构表示，它仍在考虑是否根据1991年水业法(Water Industry Act)将这笔交易提交第二阶段调查。
The CMA said last month that it was investigating the deal to see if it will affect the U.K. water regulator's ability to make comparisons within the industry.
CMA上个月说，它正在调查这笔交易，看看它是否会影响英国水务监管机构在行业内进行比较的能力。
The regulator said at the time that it was considering whether the merger of two or more water enterprises has taken place and, if so, whether this will prejudice Ofwat's ability to make comparisons between water enterprises. The CMA has a deadline of Dec. 22 for its phase 1 decision.
该监管机构当时表示，正在考虑是否发生了两家或更多水务企业的合并，如果是，这是否会损害Ofwat对水务企业进行比较的能力。CMA的第一阶段决定的最后期限是12月22日。
The regulator launched its investigation under the Enterprise Act in September as it believed the deal could lead to a lessening of competition. It said Friday that based on information currently available it won't refer the merger for a further review.
监管机构在9月份根据《企业法》(Enterprise Act)启动了调查，因为它认为这笔交易可能会导致竞争减弱。该公司上周五表示，根据目前掌握的信息，它不会将合并提交进一步审查。
Pennon disclosed the deal for Bristol Water in June, purchasing the company for an equity value of 425 million pounds ($583.8 million) and an enterprise value of GBP814 million, including assumed debt.
Pennon在6月份披露了Bristol Water的交易，以4.25亿英镑(5.838亿美元)的股权价值和8.14亿英镑的企业价值(包括承担的债务)收购了该公司。
Write to Ian Walker at ian.walker@wsj.com
写信给Ian Walker：ian.walker@wsj.com