Partners Group, the global private markets investment manager, has acquired a 30% stake in Turkish natural gas distributor Enerya on behalf of its clients. The stake was acquired from Enerya's parent company, Turkey's STFA Group, which continues to hold the remaining equity. The company will be governed on a joint venture basis.

Enerya owns and operates nine natural gas distribution companies in different regions in Western and Central Turkey, each with exclusive 30-year concession rights in their respective region, giving it one of the largest and most diversified natural gas distribution portfolios in Turkey. The company is projected to be handling a total volume of around 2.8 billion m3 of natural gas annually across its various business lines by the end of 2014 and to reach 800'000 subscribers within the same timeframe.

Following the transaction, Partners Group will work with the Enerya management team and STFA Group to further build out Enerya's platform. The company sees an opportunity to expand geographically, partly through consolidation due to the fragmented nature of the gas distribution market in Turkey. Separately, Enerya is also considering expansion into other sectors of the energy market, such as electricity and other generation technologies.

Aslan Uzun, CEO of Enerya, states:

"We are very pleased to attract this long-term and experienced partner to our growing energy platform. Energy and gas consumption per capita in Turkey are far below those in other developing countries, despite strong historical growth, so we see a real opportunity to expand Enerya's business together."

Mehmet Ali Neyzi, CEO of STFA Group, comments:

"We know Partners Group very well, having been in talks with them for over two years in the run-up to this transaction. As such, I am confident that we have found the right international partner not only for Enerya's next phase of growth, but also potentially for other future joint ventures in Turkey's growing energy market."

Brandon Prater, Managing Director in the Private Infrastructure team at Partners Group, adds:

"In STFA, we have found a great partner and we look forward to working with them to develop Enerya's business across Turkey in the coming years. Together, we are in a great position to expand Enerya's platform in a sector which we believe will deliver solid, stable growth."