GdF Suez Energy International

What is it? The division of the GdF Suez group responsible for energy and desalination projects outside Europe.

What has it done? GSEI enjoyed a stunning string of high-profile successes in 2008, winning the 287,000m3/d Ras Laffan C project in Qatar, the 454,610m3/d Shuweihat 2 IWPP in Abu Dhabi, and the 218,000m3/d Ad Dur IWPP in Bahrain. It was also involved in the massively oversubscribed Sohar IPO in August.

Why is it shortlisted?

• The company's 2008 victories reinforced GSEI's credentials as a top-of-the-class developer. It successfully brought Qatar's largest power and water plant to financial close in an impressively short time of five months, involving total investment of over $3.7 billion.

• GSEI was the majority selling shareholder in the wildly successful flotation of a 35% stake in the Sohar Power Company in Oman in July. The deal was twenty times oversubscribed, drawing demand of $735 million.

• In a year when the company faced a potentially disruptive merger with Gaz de France, the company maintained an enviable focus on the job in hand. The successful closing of a $900 million bridging loan for the Shuweihat 2 IWPP enabled an important project to continue against the odds, confirming GSEI as a developer which is more than able to deliver.