Blackstone, Vista agree to buy software firm Energy Exemplar

Funds affiliated with investment giant Blackstone (NYSE:BX) and private equity firm Vista Equity Partners have sealed an agreement to acquire Australian energy modelling software company Energy Exemplar in a deal aimed at accelerating growth and further expanding its platform.

Founded in 1999 and based in Adelaide, South Australia, Energy Exemplar offers energy market simulation software used for a wide range of applications, from short-term analysis to long-term planning studies for electric, gas, water and hydrogen energy systems in a single unified platform. Its flagship products are the simulation software PLEXOS and the forecasting solution Aurora. The company services over 500 customers, including utilities, power producers and grid system operators, across 79 countries.

The value of the deal was not disclosed in the joint statement released by the parties on Tuesday. Its price tag is said to stand at over USD 1 billion (EUR 947m), according to insiders cited by Reuters.

Blackstone is making the bet through its energy-focused private equity business, Blackstone Energy Transition Partners.

“We’re thrilled to be backing Energy Exemplar, a mission-critical software provider supporting the growth of renewable energy, battery storage, and transmission grid investment required for the energy transition,” said Bilal Khan, senior managing director at Blackstone’s energy transition arm.

(USD 1 = EUR 0.947)

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