Clal Insurance to Invest 250 Million Shekels in Blilius Family’s Energy Arm

BLenergy, the energy arm of the Blilius family, is bringing in Clal Insurance as a partner in both the company and its upcoming European projects. Calcalist has learned that Clal will invest 250 million shekels in a strategic partnership with Blilius Energy.

More than 90% of this amount will be invested directly into projects, with the remainder going into the company itself, in which Clal will hold up to a 20% stake. The company specializes in the planning, supply, construction, and operation of energy storage systems, serving major Israeli firms such as Enlight and Doral. Its systems utilize storage technology and batteries from CATL, a leading global manufacturer of electric vehicle and energy storage batteries.

Clal will provide a financing framework for the storage and energy projects the company intends to build in Europe, with a focus on Eastern Europe. Unlike its operations in Israel, where the company acted as a contractor and built facilities totaling 6 gigawatts, it plans to own and operate the projects it develops in Europe. The first project is slated for Lithuania in partnership with Shamir Energy, controlled by Meir Shamir, in which Clal is a significant shareholder.

While the company previously established joint energy activities in Israel with Tralight, it does not plan to pursue further projects there due to competition with its own customers and the increasing saturation of the Israeli market. The energy division is managed by Asaf Wasserzug, former Deputy Commissioner of the Budget Department, while the Blilius Group is led by Udi Adiri, former Director General of the Ministry of Energy.

The group, controlled by brothers Dani and Eli Blilius, is active in public transport (Superbus), real estate, and the automotive sector. The investment from Clal is intended to enable the company to build projects worth 1.2 billion shekels by leveraging local bank financing.

Barak Benski, head of the investment division at Clal Insurance, led the deal alongside Avital Cohen, head of the direct investment branch, and Guy Cohen, investment manager. Over the past two years, Clal Insurance has significantly expanded its energy portfolio, acquiring 19% of Nofar Energy's Israeli operations for 300 million shekels, investing 200 million shekels in the Kesem power plant, and committing hundreds of millions of euros to Shamir Energy. Additionally, the company has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in green energy companies abroad.