Norton Rose has advised German utility giant RWE on its E9.3bn (£8.4bn) takeover of Dutch rival Essent, the latest in a series of big-money mergers involving European utility companies.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advised Essent as RWE, Germany’s second-largest utility and the fifth-largest in Europe, paid around 9.6 times Essent’s estimated pre-tax annual earnings to complete the deal.