(Bloomberg) -- TotalEnergies SE has emerged as one of the contenders for the assets of AES Corp. in Brazil, competing against China Three Gorges Corp. and Sao Paulo-based Auren Energia SA, according to people familiar with the matter. 

AES Brasil Energia SA has a market value of 5.6 billion reais ($1.1 billion), but the holding company is asking about 7 billion reais for the assets, said the people, asking not to be identified because negotiations are private. 

Shares of AES extended gains, with its US stock jumping as much as 4.4% in New York after the news. AES Brasil is up 1.4%.

The suitors are competing for a portfolio of renewable assets in Brazil, with a total installed capacity of 5.2 gigawatts, according to the unit’s website. AES has a diversified portfolio of power generation in Brazil, most of which is based on hydroelectricity, while the company has also increased its wind and solar capacity. 

China Three Gorges has a unit in Brazil, and Paris-based TotalEnergies announced in October 2022 the creation of a joint venture with Casa dos Ventos to build and operate the Brazilian company’s renewable portfolio. 

AES, based in Arlington, Virginia, is working with Banco Itau BBA SA and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to sell its assets in Brazil, the people said. The parent company is “evaluating alternatives to finance the firm’s growth and improve its capital structure,” the Brazilian unit said in a statement.

Total, Auren Energia, CTG Brasil, Goldman Sachs and Itau declined to comment on the negotiations. 

--With assistance from Naureen S. Malik, Dan Murtaugh, Dong Cao and Philip Sanders.

(Updates with share move starting in third paragraph.)

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