OREANDA-NEWS. Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) and GDF SUEZ, through its subsidiary Cofely (GDF SUEZ Energie Services), today announced the signing of an agreement to strengthen their collaboration by implementing projects in the field of energy at Sanofi industrial sites. The five-year contract includes energy production and distribution systems relying among others on renewable energy.

Building on the success of the initial agreement signed in March 2012 for Europe and Turkey, the two groups have expanded their collaboration to now include sites in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, China, and Singapore. All Sanofi's production lines will be covered: chemicals, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biotechnology and animal health. The initial three-year term contract is extended to five years.

“Thanks to the global footprint of Sanofi and GDF SUEZ, this innovative partnership enables us to improve our competitiveness and achieve our environmental objectives,” said Christopher A. Viehbacher, CEO of Sanofi. “As part of our Corporate Social Responsibility commitments, our ambition is to reduce by 20% our energy consumption by 2020. “

“We welcome this collaboration with Sanofi as a perfect illustration of GDF SUEZ's strategy of becoming its customers' energy partner,” said Gerard Mestrallet, Chairman and CEO of GDF SUEZ. “This collaboration forms part of GDF SUEZ's approach to provide our industrial partners with energy efficient solutions that are innovative, successful and sustainable.”

Since the beginning of their collaboration in 2012, the two groups have launched five projects in France, Italy and Germany covering the installation of cogeneration or trigeneration gas turbines, and the construction of biomass boilers to improve the energy and environmental performance of these industrial sites.

The co-investment related to these projects represents ca. GBP 30 million in 2013. In the framework of the expanded collaboration, the total co-investments could reach up to GBP 80 million.