RWE will announce the result for its renewables unit on 8 March, but it has confirmed that the figure will be double the €186m ($202m) it recorded in 2014.

"By deciding to combine renewables, grid and retail operations in one subsidiary with its own access to the capital market, we are laying the foundation for further growth in these fields of the future," RWE chief executive Peter Terium said in Essen today.

"We