INTERNATIONAL Power joined the rush into green energy by buying a portfolio of wind farms in Germany and France for Pounds 379m including debt.

The seller is money manager Christopherson Robb Company, run by banker Johan Christofferson and academic Richard Robb.

IP will pay Pounds 67m immediately and a further Pounds 60m in equity investment.

The farms should generate 436 megawatts of power, about 2pc of IP's capacity.

IP says the purchase should boost its earnings from year one.