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Empresas y finanzas

Darby Mezzanine Fund Invests in Renewable Energy - Polish Rapeseed Oil Producer


    Darby Overseas Investments, Ltd. ("Darby"), the private equity arm
    of Franklin Templeton Investments, announced that its Darby Converging
    Europe Mezzanine Fund (DCEMF) made an investment commitment of EUR
    16.40 million in Zaklady Tluszczowe Bodaczow ("ZTB"), the fifth
    largest producer of vegetable oils and edible fats in Poland. As a
    result, DCEMF has now invested EUR 102 million of its committed
    capital totaling currently EUR 248 million.

    A leader in the vegetable oils and fat consumer food products, ZTB
    recently started serving the fast growing industrial segments,
    including the emerging bio-diesel industry. The proceeds of the loan
    will help finance a new high capacity production line for rapeseed
    oil, helping ZTB position itself as one of the key suppliers to the
    producers of rapeseed methyl esters (RME), the primary bio additive to
    diesel fuel.

    Robert D. Graffam, Darby´s Senior Managing Director - Europe,
    commented: "ZTB is an excellent example of the opportunities that
    DCEMF is seeking as we accelerate the pace of investment: a
    medium-sized company requiring risk capital to finance expansion in a
    sector with excellent growth prospects. The company is very well
    placed to capitalize on the increasing market demand for rapeseed oil
    arising from the EU directive promoting the use of bio-fuels."

    Darby has played a pioneering role in bringing mezzanine - a
    hybrid of both debt and equity - to emerging market regions, initially
    Latin America, then to Asia and more recently to Central and Eastern
    Europe. DCEMF´s other investments include DDSG Cargo Group, a leading
    river transportation company based in Vienna; SIA Rigas
    Piensaimniekes, a major dairy products concern in Latvia; Ceske
    Radiokomunikace, the dominant broadcast and leading alternative
    telecommunications services provider in the Czech Republic; and
    FiberNet Group, one of the foremost CEE cable television operators,
    offering cable television, broadband internet and telephony services
    with a focus on Hungary, Bulgaria and Ukraine.

    Darby Overseas Investments, Ltd. was founded in 1994 by The
    Honorable Nicholas F. Brady, who served as U.S. Secretary of the
    Treasury between 1988 and 1993. In 2003 Darby became a fully owned
    subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN), a global investment
    management organization operating as Franklin Templeton Investments.
    Franklin Templeton Institutional, which is part of Franklin Templeton
    Investments, provides global and domestic investment management
    solutions managed by the Franklin Global Advisers, Templeton, Franklin
    Templeton Fixed Income, Franklin Templeton Real Estate Advisors, Darby
    and Mutual Series investment management teams. The San Mateo,
    California-based company has 60 years of investment experience and
    approximately US$669 billion in assets under management as of October
    31, 2007.