KKR, the Almighty Savior? Written By: Mark Bershatsky 2007-03-01 15:22:17 In a way, the same Wall Street leverage-buyout magnate that exceedingly overpaid for RJR Nabisco almost 20 years ago can be viewed as a savior with its even larger takeover bid for TXU Corporation (NYSE: TXU). Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) has teamed up with another private equity firm, Texas Pacific Group, to be the lead investors in a $32-billion deal for TXU, plus an assumed $13 billion in debt. In the process, the deal will prevent eight of the 11 proposed coal-fired power plants in TXU’s expansion plan from coming online. This translates into the prevention of 56 million tons of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere each year. Additionally, TXU indicated it will invest $400 million in conservation and energy efficiency over the next five years.
Environmental groups have an impact on KKR buyout of TXU Corp - aka Texas Utilities (TXU). They managed to force the company to reduce the total number of coal plants being planned in Texas from eleven to three.
