The Edipower consortium has become Italy’s second largest electricity provider after buying one of Enel’s generating companies, Eurogen, for ¤3.7 billion including debts. Eurogen, is the largest of three that the former state utility Enel has been forced to sell in order to comply with an EU market liberalisation directive. Eurogen has a capacity of over 7 000 MW, roughly 10 per cent of the Italian total. Edipower is led by Edison which is controlled by Fiat and Electricite de France through their joint venture Italenergia.