Thijs Verburg, Author at DIF Capital Partners

27 April 2021 | Toronto

DIF Capital Partners and PERENfra announce North American water infrastructure partnership

DIF Infrastructure Fund VI, managed by DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”) and PERENfra LLC (“PERENfra”) are pleased to announce the signing of a partnership agreement to develop and acquire water infrastructure opportunities in North America. The partnership will focus on all areas of water for municipal and industrial uses, targeting large scale investments towards development of a significant portfolio of over USD $1.5 billion.

PERENfra is led by an experienced management team with a strong network in the water sector and has several investment opportunities already in process. DIF’s complementary expertise in development and infrastructure investment as well as access to capital through its DIF Infrastructure Fund VI will help accelerate growth of the portfolio. The partnership’s investment strategy focuses on both acquisitions of operational projects and late-stage development projects targeting water efficiency and reliability while providing positive social and environmental impacts.

Jeff Nelson, Founder and CEO of PERENfra said “We are proud and excited to partner with DIF to provide essential water infrastructure in North America and beyond. There is a transition coming in water infrastructure, and as the needs for water continue to become more complex, we have built an industry leading team with the right partners to provide safe, sustainable, efficient solutions for the long-term.”

“Significant capital is required for necessary upgrades in water infrastructure systems across North America. DIF is pleased to be partnering with the experienced specialist team at PERENfra in pursuit of critical investments in essential water infrastructure.” said Marko Kremer, Head of DIF North America.

DIF was advised by Allen & Overy (legal). PERENfra was advised by Davis Graham & Stubbs (legal) and Mount Vernon Partners (transactional).

About DIF Capital Partners:

DIF Capital Partners is a global independent investment fund management company with approximately €8.5 billion of funds under management. Through nine investment funds, DIF Capital Partners invests in high-quality infrastructure assets that generate long-term and stable cash flows, including water, transportation, renewable energy, regulated utilities, and other infrastructure projects in North America, Europe, South America and Australia.

https://www.dif.eu/

Contact: Allard Ruijs, Partner; a.ruijs@dif.eu.

About PERENfra:

PERENfra is a United States based infrastructure company focused on operational and development opportunities in the water sector across various geographies. PERENfra takes a long-term approach to owning and operating essential assets and our team has a reputation of providing efficiency and certainty for our clients and partners. PERENfra currently owns and operates assets providing municipal water supply and environmental conservation.

https://www.perenfra.com/

19 April 2021 | London

DIF Capital Partners agrees to sell a portfolio of European PPP assets to Equitix

DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”) is pleased to announce that DIF Infrastructure III (“DIF III”) and DIF Infrastructure IV (“DIF IV”) have agreed to the sale of their stakes in a portfolio of six European PPP assets to Equitix, a leading UK and European infrastructure fund manager.

The portfolio consists of shareholdings in a number of critical infrastructure projects that DIF invested into as primary transactions: A1/A6 Road, IJmond Sea Lock and N18 Road in the Netherlands; A7 Nord Road and Netz West Rolling Stock in Germany; as well as the KAV Vienna Hospital in Austria. With the exception of IJmond Sea Lock which is currently in the final stages of construction, all of the projects are operational under availability-based contractual structures that are backed by strong public counterparties.

Andrew Freeman, Head of Exits at DIF, said: “We are very pleased with the sale of this well diversified and optimised portfolio of North-Western European PPP assets which represents an attractive exit for our DIF III and DIF IV investors. We believe Equitix is an excellent counterparty and is perfectly positioned to manage the assets until maturity.”

Hugh Crossley, Chief Investment Officer for Equitix, said: “As we continue to diversify and grow our European portfolio, we are always looking out for attractive opportunities to acquire high-quality assets that meet our responsible investment criteria. The DIF portfolio does just this and will allow us to leverage our continental expertise for the benefit of investors in our European Infrastructure Fund.”

DIF was advised on the transaction by Cantor Fitzgerald and PwC (financial), Allen & Overy (legal), PwC (tax & accounting), as well as Atkins and Arup (technical).

Equitix was advised by CMS (legal), Deloitte (tax and accounting) and Arcadis (technical).

Closing of the transaction is subject to the receipt of customary approvals and consents.

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent fund manager, with €8.5 billion of assets under management across nine closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF Capital Partners invests in greenfield and operational infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

Traditional DIF funds, of which DIF Infrastructure Fund VI is the latest vintage, target equity investments with long-term contracted or regulated income streams including public-private partnerships, concessions, utilities, and (renewable) energy projects.
DIF CIF funds target equity investments in small to mid-sized economic infrastructure assets in the telecom, energy and transportation sectors.

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 160 professionals, based in nine offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Santiago, Sydney and Toronto. For further information please visit www.dif.eu.

Contact: Allard Ruijs, Partner; a.ruijs@dif.eu.

2 April 2021 | Santiago

DIF Capital Partners acquires a 117MW wind project in Uruguay

DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”) and Enercon GmbH (“ENERCON”) are pleased to announce that DIF, through its DIF Infrastructure Fund VI, has acquired 100% of the ownership of the 117MW Peralta I/II onshore wind projects in Uruguay.

The project, comprising 50 ENERCON E-92 2.35MW turbines, has been operational since October 2015 and benefits from a 20-year 100MW power purchase agreement with UTE, Uruguay’s state-owned utility. The project will continue to be maintained by ENERCON under a long-term agreement and asset management services will continue to be delivered by SEG-Heliotec. Following the acquisition of the 50MW Cerro Grande project in 2019, this is the second Uruguayan ENERCON project that DIF has acquired.

Christopher Mansfield, Partner and Head of Renewable Energy, said: “We are very pleased to have acquired our second renewable energy project in South America, which is the result of our strong relationship with ENERCON. We believe this investment is attractive for DIF’s investors due to the long-term project agreements that provide a high degree of predictability of future cash flows.”

DIF has been advised by Voltiq (transaction), Hughes & Hughes and Gómez-Acebo & Pombo (legal), DNV (technical) and Mazars (financial and tax & accounting). ENERCON was advised by FICUS Advisory.

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent fund manager, with €8.5 billion of assets under management across nine closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF Capital Partners invests in greenfield and operational infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

Traditional DIF funds, of which DIF Infrastructure Fund VI is the latest vintage, target equity investments with long-term contracted or regulated income streams including public-private partnerships, concessions, utilities, and (renewable) energy projects.
DIF CIF funds target equity investments in small to mid-sized economic infrastructure assets in the telecom, energy and transportation sectors.

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 160 professionals, based in nine offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Santiago, Sydney and Toronto. For further information please visit www.dif.eu.

Contact: Allard Ruijs, Partner; a.ruijs@dif.eu.

1 April 2021 | Schiphol

DIF Capital Partners sells portfolio of wind and solar projects in France and Germany

DIF Capital Partners, through its DIF Infrastructure Yield I fund (“DIF Yield”), is pleased to announce the sale of a renewable energy portfolio, totalling 180MW, to Kallista Energy, a French independent producer of renewable energy.

The sold portfolio comprises 15 wind and solar parks, of which five operational wind parks and three solar parks (total of 90.2 MW) are located in France and seven operational wind parks in Germany (89.5 MW).

Christopher Mansfield, Head of Renewable Energy, said: “This transaction represents a good result for DIF Yield and we believe that Kallista Energy is well placed to further optimise the residual value of this renewable energy portfolio. DIF Capital Partners will continue to manage the West European PPP/PFI and operational solar PV portfolios that remain in DIF Yield.”

DIF Capital Partners was advised by Augusta & Co (transactional) and Watson Farley & Williams (Legal).

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent fund manager, with €8.5 billion of assets under management across nine closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF Capital Partners invests in greenfield and operational infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

Traditional DIF funds, of which DIF Infrastructure Fund VI is the latest vintage, target equity investments with long-term contracted or regulated income streams including public-private partnerships, concessions, utilities, and (renewable) energy projects.
DIF CIF funds target equity investments in small to mid-sized economic infrastructure assets in the telecom, energy and transportation sectors.

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 160 professionals, based in nine offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Santiago, Sydney and Toronto. For further information please visit www.dif.eu.

Contact: Allard Ruijs, Partner; a.ruijs@dif.eu.

19 March 2021 | Schiphol

DIF Capital Partners and OX2 sign 63 MW wind power deal

DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”) and OX2 AB (“OX2”) are pleased to announce that DIF, through DIF Infrastructure Fund VI, will acquire 100% of two onshore wind projects in the Podlaskie and Łódź regions of Poland, with a total capacity of 63 MW. As the projects are ready to build, DIF will invest through the construction of the projects.

The wind projects, which will be equipped with Vestas V126 turbines, have been developed and will be constructed under a tailored EPC contract by OX2. Construction commenced upon closing of the transaction and the projects are expected to become operational by end of 2022. Once commissioned, OX2 will be responsible for the technical and commercial management of the projects, which benefit from contracts-for-difference with the Polish state, providing fixed price tariffs for the power offtake for a period of 15 years.

The total production is estimated to be c. 200 GWh per year, which is the equivalent to the annual power consumption of around 50,000 households; thereby avoiding around c. 70,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year from fossil fuels. The projects will support Poland’s energy transition by expanding the country’s renewable energy capacity and reducing dependency on power production from fossil fuels.

Christopher Mansfield, Partner at DIF Capital Partners, said: “DIF is delighted to enter the Polish renewables market through this new partnership with OX2 and to support Poland’s ongoing energy transition. The projects fit well within the investment strategy of DIF Infrastructure Fund VI and adds to the track record of DIF-managed funds, which have invested in c. 2.3GW of wind and solar power projects in Europe, North and South America and Australia.

Paul Stormoen, CEO, OX2, said: “I am very happy to welcome DIF Capital Partners as a new partner with its extensive experience from long-term investments in renewable energy projects. Our partnership is a significant step in OX2’s ongoing expansion in Poland. It more than quadruples the amount of green energy that will be produced from the wind farms in Poland built by OX2.”

DIF was advised by PWC (financial), Allen & Overy (legal) and DNV (technical). OX2 was advised by DNB Markets (financial) and DLA Piper (legal).

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent fund manager, with €8.5 billion of assets under management across nine closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF Capital Partners invests in greenfield and operational infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

Traditional DIF funds, of which DIF Infrastructure Fund VI is the latest vintage, target equity investments with long-term contracted or regulated income streams including public-private partnerships, concessions, utilities, and (renewable) energy projects.
DIF CIF funds target equity investments in small to mid-sized economic infrastructure assets in the telecom, energy and transportation sectors.

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 160 professionals, based in nine offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Santiago, Sydney and Toronto. For further information please visit www.dif.eu

About OX2

OX2 develops, builds and manages renewable power generation. OX2 has taken a leading position in large-scale onshore wind power over the past 15 years, having developed and constructed more than 2.4 GW of wind power in Europe. OX2 currently has contracted asset management services for 44 wind farms 2.25 GW). OX2’s mission is to lead the ongoing energy transition and promote a more sustainable future. OX2 has operations in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland, Lithuania and France. Its head office is in Stockholm, Sweden. Sales revenue in 2020 amounted to €510 million. For more information, please visit: http://www.ox2.com.

For further questions, please contact:

DIF Capital Partners
Allard Ruijs, Partner
a.ruijs@dif.eu

OX2 Poland
Katarzyna Suchcicka
Country Manager
katarzyna.suchcicka@ox2.com
Mobile: +48 507 701 903

OX2 Group
Head of Communications
Mikael Östlund
mikael.ostlund@ox2.com
Phone: +46 709 100 159

14 December 2020 | Toronto

DIF Capital Partners sells its 50% stake in US solar project Lone Valley to Munich Re

DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”) is pleased to announce that DIF Infrastructure III (“DIF III”) has signed an agreement to sell its 50% stake in Lone Valley to Munich Re, represented by Munich Re’s global asset manager MEAG. Closing of the transaction is expected to take place in Q1 2021.

Lone Valley consists of two single-axis tracking utility scale solar photovoltaic projects: Lone Valley I, which is a 10 MWac facility, and Lone Valley II, which is a 20 MWac facility, both located next to each other in San Bernardino County, California, USA.

Andrew Freeman, Head of Exits at DIF, said: “We are very pleased with the successful exit of DIF’s first renewable energy investment in the USA and are confident that MEAG will be a strong steward of the project going forward.”

Holger Kerzel, Member of MEAG’s Management Board, said: “By further expanding our renewable energy portfolio, we contribute to avoiding climate-damaging emissions near one of the world’s largest conurbations. With the solar energy produced in these plants, around 10,000 households can be supplied with electricity.“

DIF was advised by Fifth Third Securities (financial) and Stoel Rives LLP (legal). MEAG was advised by Ballard Spahr (legal).

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent fund manager, with €8.5 billion of assets under management across nine closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF Capital Partners invests in greenfield and operational infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

DIF Infrastructure funds target equity investments with long-term contracted or regulated income streams including public-private partnerships (PPP/PFI/P3), concessions, utilities, and (renewable) energy projects.
DIF CIF funds target equity investments in small to mid-sized economic infrastructure assets in the telecom, energy and transportation sectors.

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 150 professionals, based in nine offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Santiago, Sydney and Toronto. Please visit www.dif.eu for further information.

About MEAG

MEAG manages the assets of Munich Re and ERGO. It has representations in Europe, Asia and North America and offers its extensive know-how to institutional and private customers. MEAG currently manages assets to the value of around €334 billion, around €67 billion of which in its business with institutional investors and private customers.

MEAG invests in alternative assets in North America on behalf of investors from the Group and institutional investors. MEAG’s most recent investments in the US comprise a timberland investment in Oregon, the infrastructure investment Astoria Energy Partners in N.Y.C. and the real estate investment 330 Madison Av. in Manhattan.

Contact DIF: Allard Ruijs, Partner a.ruijs@dif.eu.

Contact MEAG: Josef Wild, Spokesperson j.wild@meag.com.

26 November 2020 | Madrid

DIF Capital Partners signed agreement to acquire 33.3% interest in Toledo Hospital PPP project

DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”) is pleased to announce that DIF Infrastructure VI (“DIF VI”) has signed a share purchase agreement with Spanish infrastructure company OHL to acquire 33.3% of the share capital of Nuevo Hospital de Toledo S.A. (“Toledo Hospital” or “the Project”) and an indirect 33.3% stake in the company that operates the Project.

The Project consists of the construction, maintenance, financing and operation of the non-clinical services of the Toledo Hospital. The Project benefits from an availability based payment scheme granted by Castilla-La Mancha Health Service (SESCAM) under a concession that will run until 2045. The construction of Toledo Hospital started in 2016: it was officially inaugurated in November 2020 and is expected to be fully operational during 2021. The Project was built by a joint venture between OHL, Acciona and ACS.

Toledo Hospital is considered to be one of the largest hospital complexes in Europe. It will serve more than 434,000 inhabitants living in 116 municipalities in the province of Toledo. The Project comprises seven buildings with a total floor area of more than 245,000 m², which are organized around a central street that functions as a public space and connects the various hospital services. It houses 1,142 beds, of which 760 are for hospitalization and 382 for other uses, 368 consultation rooms, 97 examination rooms, 120 outpatient posts, 42 emergency observation posts and 65 treatment posts, and examination bays.

Fernando Moreno, DIF’s head in Spain: “DIF has an excellent and long lasting relationship with OHL. We are very glad that we have been able to further develop our relationship through this high profile transaction. We are honoured to and believe that we are well placed to operate this landmark infrastructure project together with the grantor and our project partners. The Project perfectly fits in our portfolio and should provide a stable and strong yield for our investors”.

Closing of the transaction is expected to take place in the first half of 2021.

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent fund manager, with €8.5 billion of assets under management across nine closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF Capital Partners invests in greenfield and operational infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

DIF Infrastructure funds target equity investments with long-term contracted or regulated income streams including public-private partnerships (PPP/PFI/P3), concessions, utilities, and (renewable) energy projects.
DIF CIF funds target equity investments in small to mid-sized economic infrastructure assets in the telecom, energy and transportation sectors.

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 150 professionals, based in nine offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Santiago, Sydney and Toronto. Please visit www.dif.eu for further information.

Contact: Allard Ruijs, Partner; a.ruijs@dif.eu.

13 November 2020 | Schiphol

DIF Capital Partners bolsters team with senior hires

Continuing to build on the firm’s strong current momentum, DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”) is pleased to announce the hiring of three senior investment professionals to bolster its investment team.

Most recently, DIF hired Caine Bouwmeester as Managing Director in London, further strengthening the global activities in renewable energy. He brings more than 13 years of renewable energy experience and has a track record of developing, acquiring and financing more than 2GW of wind and solar projects globally, enabling over €3 billion of investment.

Prior to DIF, Caine was most recently a senior vice president at Macquarie’s Green Investment Group (GIG) in London where he was responsible for the origination, structuring and execution of renewable energy investments in Europe. He has a Master’s degree in Finance from INSEAD and Bachelor Business Administration and Financial Mathematics degrees from Wilfrid Laurier University (Canada).

In addition, Marcel Beverungen has been hired as a Senior Director in the investment team in Frankfurt and Pierre Boschin as a Senior Director in the investment team in Paris to further expand and strengthen our local practices.

Marcel is an experienced infrastructure specialist, having worked as a Director in the energy, power and infrastructure team at Rothschild in Germany. Prior to Rothschild, Marcel worked at UBS and Dresdner Kleinwort, in their energy and renewables teams, advising many institutional investors and strategics on M&A, ECM and debt advisory type of transactions in German speaking countries. He has Master’s degrees from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (Germany) and the University of Sankt Gallen (Switzerland).

Pierre has a broad experience in the infrastructure and energy markets. Prior to joining DIF, Pierre was Managing Director at French leading M&A boutique Messier Maris & Associés, where he advised numerous transactions for major French utilities, blue chips and prime PE houses in the energy and industrial segments, in France and Southern Europe. Prior to that, he worked as an investment banker for Credit Suisse and Lazard. Pierre has Master’s degrees from the Ecole Polytechnique (France) and Oxford University (UK).

Wim Blaasse, Managing Partner: “We are excited to welcome Caine, Marcel and Pierre to DIF Capital Partners. We are delighted to have recruited three such high calibre professionals to strengthen DIF’s investment team. They will play a key role in the further growth of our platform and transacting attractive deals for our funds.”

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent infrastructure fund manager, with €8.5 billion of assets under management across nine closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF Capital Partners invests in greenfield and operational infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

DIF Infrastructure funds target equity investments with long-term contracted or regulated income streams including public-private partnerships (PPP/PFI/P3), concessions, utilities, and (renewable) energy projects.
DIF CIF funds target equity investments in small to mid-sized economic infrastructure assets in the telecom, energy and transportation sectors.

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 150 professionals, based in nine offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Santiago, Sydney and Toronto. Please visit www.dif.eu for further information.

Contact: Allard Ruijs, Partner; a.ruijs@dif.eu.

27 October 2020 | Schiphol

DIF Infrastructure VI reaches final close at €3.03 billion

DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”) is pleased to announce the final close of DIF Infrastructure VI (“DIF VI) at €3.03 billion, exceeding its €2.5 billion target.

DIF VI targets equity investments in projects and companies with pre-dominantly long-term contracted or regulated income streams including public-private partnerships, concessions, utilities, and (renewable) energy projects, that generate stable and predictable cash flows as well as attractive risk-adjusted returns. The fund targets both greenfield and operational investments in Europe, the Americas and Australasia.

DIF VI has seen strong backing from existing and new investors to the DIF platform, receiving commitments from leading institutional investors across the globe.

Allard Ruijs, Partner at DIF Capital Partners said: “We are proud of this achievement, especially in the challenging times in which we live, which is a testimony to the strength of the DIF platform and the attractiveness of the DIF VI proposition. Over the past 15 years the team has been able to generate attractive returns for our investors by consistently investing in high quality projects, enhancing project value during our ownership through active shareholder engagement, as well as by achieving successful realisations. We are confident that DIF VI will be a successful continuation of this strategy, leveraging DIF’s unique global office network and dedicated local teams to source and manage attractive investment opportunities and build robust and diversified portfolios. We are thankful for the strong support received from investors for the DIF VI partnership.”

DIF VI has made a strong start, having committed to three investments to date thereby deploying ca. 20% of the fund. This includes investments in (i) BluEarth, a Canadian renewable energy platform, (ii) Cascade, a 900 MW long-term contracted Canadian power project, and (iii) stakes in Norte Litoral and Via do Infante, two Portuguese availability-based PPP roads. Furthermore, the fund has a strong pipeline of investments across its target sectors and geographies, including both greenfield and operational projects.

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent infrastructure fund manager, with €8.5 billion of assets under management across nine closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF Capital Partners invests in greenfield and operational infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

DIF Infrastructure funds target equity investments with long-term contracted or regulated income streams including public-private partnerships (PPP/PFI/P3), concessions, utilities, and (renewable) energy projects.
DIF CIF funds target equity investments in small to mid-sized economic infrastructure assets in the telecom, energy and transportation sectors.

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 150 professionals, based in nine offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Santiago, Sydney and Toronto. Please visit www.dif.eu for further information.

Contact: Allard Ruijs, Partner; a.ruijs@dif.eu.

28 September 2020 | Schiphol

Building Back Better – DIF Capital Partners achieves A+ UNPRI scores

2020 has been an extraordinary year for all of us. The Covid-19 pandemic has called into question some of the foundations of modern societies, from global supply chains to national health services. But most of all, 2020 has put a spotlight on resilience: the resilience of individuals, of communities, of businesses, of the climate and, in particular of the infrastructure investments of DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”).

Today, DIF is publishing its 2020 ESG Report – Building Back Better. With the publication of the report, DIF shows it has an action-oriented and transparent approach designed to positively engage with all our stakeholders ensuring the resilience of the assets in which it invests and promoting improvement in ESG performance over time.

Furthermore, DIF is pleased to announce that it achieved A+ UNPRI scores for 2020, for both the infrastructure and the strategy & governance modules. This is the result of an integrated approach to ESG across all of DIF’s activities. ESG remains a key strategic priority for DIF, and the awarded UNPRI scores confirm it is fully embedded in DIF’s investment principles, strategy, policies and processes.

DIF welcomes your feedback and is looking forward to continuing this important discussion with its stakeholders – collectively targeting to improve ESG performance and to take to mitigate climate change across the industry.

Please click on the following link to access the full report: DIF Capital Partners – ESG Report 2020.

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent infrastructure fund manager, with €7.6 billion of assets under management across nine closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF Capital Partners invests in greenfield and operational infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

DIF Infrastructure funds target equity investments in projects with long-term contracted or regulated income streams including public-private partnerships (PPP/PFI/P3), concessions, utilities, and (renewable) energy projects.
DIF CIF funds target equity investments in small to mid-sized economic infrastructure assets in the telecom, energy and transportation sectors.

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 145 professionals, based in nine offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Santiago, Sydney and Toronto. Please visit www.dif.eu for further information.

Contact: Allard Ruijs, Partner; a.ruijs@dif.eu.

15 September 2020 | Madrid

DIF Capital Partners to acquire stakes in two Portuguese availability PPP roads

DIF Capital Partners, through DIF Infrastructure VI, is pleased to announce it has reached an agreement to acquire a 49% stake in the Norte Litoral and a 48% stake in the Via do Infante availability PPP roads from Cintra, a subsidiary of Ferrovial. Closing of the transaction is subject to customary approvals from Portuguese authorities and lenders.

Through other funds under its management DIF Capital Partners controls the remaining 51% stake in Norte Litoral as well as a 49% stake in Via do Infante, stakes it acquired from Cintra in 2016.

Via do Infante (A22) is a 133 kilometer motorway concession between Lagos and Castro Marim in the South of Portugal. This concession was awarded in 2000, with the contract running until 2030. Norte Litoral (A28 and A27) is a 113 kilometer motorway concession between Porto and Caminha, and from Viana do Castelo to Ponte de Lima, in Northern Portugal. This concession was awarded in 2001, with the contract running until 2031. Both concessions benefit from availability payments which represent ca. 95% of revenue. Cintra will continue to provide the management services for both roads.

Fernando Moreno, partner at DIF Capital Partners, said: “We are very pleased with the addition of these critical and robust road assets to the DIF VI portfolio. Given their structure, the projects have continued to demonstrate strong performance despite the Covid-19 crisis.”

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent infrastructure fund manager, with €7.6 billion of assets under management across nine closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF Capital Partners invests in greenfield and operational infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

DIF Infrastructure funds target equity investments in projects with long-term contracted or regulated income streams including public-private partnerships (PPP/PFI/P3), concessions, utilities, and (renewable) energy projects.
DIF CIF funds target equity investments in small to mid-sized economic infrastructure assets in the telecom, energy and transportation sectors.

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 145 professionals, based in nine offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Santiago, Sydney and Toronto. Please visit www.dif.eu for further information.

Contact: Allard Ruijs, Partner; a.ruijs@dif.eu.

28 August 2020 | Toronto

DIF Capital Partners invests in 900 MW Canadian power project

DIF Capital Partners, through DIF Infrastructure VI (“DIF”), is pleased to announce its investment in the 900-megawatt Cascade Power Project (“Cascade” or the “Project”) in Canada. Together with joint equity sponsors OPTrust and Axium Infrastructure, DIF will invest in the construction of Cascade. The equity sponsors and its development sponsors Kineticor and Macquarie Capital, successfully closed financing of the CAD 1.5 billion Project today, including securing non-recourse project financing.

Cascade is a 900-megawatt combined cycle natural gas-fired generating facility to be located near Edson, Alberta. Siemens Energy will provide two highly efficient single shaft SCC6-8000H power trains and provide maintenance support under a long-term service agreement. Cascade is strategically situated in proximity to significant gas production as well as the NGTL System and high voltage electrical transmission lines, an important competitive advantage for Cascade. Construction will start immediately with commercial operations commencing in 2023. Cascade is contracted and benefits from long-term gas netback agreements which provide cashflow stability and downside protection once the project is commissioned.

Cascade will lead the transition to a lower carbon intensive power grid in Alberta by supporting the province’s transition off coal-fired power, generating low emissions electricity that is expected to supply over 8 percent of the province’s average demand. With Alberta contributing over 50 percent of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation, Cascade is expected to result in one of the largest emissions reduction opportunities in the country’s electricity sector.

BPC, a joint venture between affiliates of PCL Construction and Overland Contracting Canada, Inc., a Black & Veatch Company, will construct the facility under an Engineering, Procurement and Construction Services contract with Kineticor acting as construction and asset manager. Cascade will additionally benefit the local community with over 3 million work hours of labour required for construction, creating approximately 600 jobs during peak construction as well as 25 long-term jobs during operation.

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent infrastructure fund manager, with €7.6 billion of assets under management across nine closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF Capital Partners invests in greenfield and operational infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

DIF Infrastructure funds target equity investments in public-private partnerships (PPP/PFI/P3), concessions, utilities and renewable energy projects with long-term contracted or regulated income streams.
DIF CIF funds target equity investments in small to mid-sized economic infrastructure assets in the telecom, energy and transportation sectors.

DIF has a team of over 145 professionals, based in nine offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Santiago, Sydney and Toronto. Please visit www.dif.eu for further information.

Contact: Allard Ruijs, Partner; a.ruijs@dif.eu.