5 October 2022  |  Paris

DIF Capital Partners invests in leading global renewable energy platform Qair

Qair, a fast growing renewable energy platform company, and DIF Capital Partners, a leading global independent investment manager, are pleased to announce that they have signed a partnership agreement whereby DIF, through DIF Infrastructure VII, will invest in the company to accelerate its growth and portfolio build out.

Qair is an independent power producer that develops, owns, and operates multi-technology renewable energy projects. The platform is focused on a wide range of technologies including onshore and offshore wind, utility scale solar, energy from waste, hydroelectricity, (battery) storage, hydrogen production, as well as tidal energy. Qair is a global player with a presence in 20 countries. The majority of its activities are based in France, Poland, Germany, Italy, Spain and Brazil. The company has 550 employees and is headquartered in Paris, France.

Qair has an operational portfolio of c. 1 GW, which is mainly comprised of (onshore) wind (c. 75%) and solar projects, as well as a development pipeline of 25 GW. The company benefits from strong development capabilities and foresees to add around 4 GW of renewable projects over the next five years.

Louis Blanchard, CEO of Qair: “With my partners Jean Marc Bouchet and RGreen, and the broader Qair team, we are happy to welcome DIF Capital Partners and join forces to pursue the development of our group’s strategy. We are confident that with the entrepreneurial spirit that drives us both, DIF will offer us the best support in our mission to accelerate the energy transition, especially within the current complex energy market.”

Gijs Voskuyl, Partner at DIF and Head of Investments for DIF Infrastructure VII adds: “DIF is delighted to partner with Qair and its management team and support them in their next phase of growth. We believe the company has built up an excellent track record and an impressive pipeline across a wide range of renewable energy sectors and countries and is very well positioned to play a leading role in the continuous decarbonization of the global economy”.

Qair was advised by August Debouzy, PSP Avocats, NM Advisory, 8 Advisory, PwC, Niddam-Drouas and Drooms. DIF was advised by Astris Finance, KPMG, H3P, Clifford Chance, UL, DNV, Baringa and Marsh.

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent investment manager, with ca. EUR 14 billion in assets under management across eleven closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF invests in infrastructure companies and assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Australia through two complementary strategies:

  • DIF CIF funds, of which DIF CIF III is the latest vintage, target equity investments in small to mid-sized core-plus infrastructure companies in the telecom, energy transition, and transportation sectors.
  • Traditional DIF funds, of which DIF Infrastructure VII is the latest vintage, target core and build-to-core infrastructure equity investments with long-term contracted or regulated income streams including public-private partnerships, concessions, utilities, and energy transition projects (incl. renewable energy).

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 200 professionals, based in eleven offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, Helsinki, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, New York, Paris, Santiago, Sydney, and Toronto. For more information please visit www.dif.eu.

Contact: Thijs Verburg, t.verburg@dif.eu.

22 June 2022  |  Schiphol

DIF Capital Partners joins forces with Virya Energy to acquire a strategic position in Dutch green hydrogen developer VoltH2

DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”), through DIF Infrastructure VI, has acquired an interest in green hydrogen production facilities developer VoltH2 (the “Company”). DIF entered into a strategic partnership with Virya Energy, a leading Belgian renewable energy company, in acquiring a majority stake in the Company, with VoltH2’s founder André Jurres, retaining a meaningful share as well.

The Netherlands based VoltH2 holds permits and secured land plots for two production sites in Vlissingen and Terneuzen, with advanced planning underway for an additional site in Delfzijl as well as a number of early phase development positions. The three most advanced facilities have a capacity of initially 75 MW which can be scaled up to 250 MW. DIF’s and Virya’s involvement enables VoltH2 to realise its first green hydrogen production facilities in the near future and further expand the pipeline.

André Jurres, Managing Director of VoltH2: “This investment attests to the confidence in green hydrogen and in the growth of VoltH2. With the involvement of DIF Capital Partners and Virya Energy, we can anchor VoltH2 locally as well as internationally, achieve our ambitions and play a crucial role in the European energy market and energy transition.”

Gijs Voskuyl, Partner at DIF Capital Partners, adds: “We expect a significant demand increase for green hydrogen in the short and medium term. As an investor with a strong footprint and ongoing focus within the energy transition space, we aim to play a role in this fast growing and capital intensive market and believe VoltH2 as well as Virya Energy are excellent partners to realise these ambitions.”

About VoltH2

VoltH2 focuses on the design, development, construction and operation of green hydrogen facilities in Europe. The first two production facilities are currently being developed in Vlissingen and Terneuzen (the Netherlands). Both are expected to be operational in 2025. At start-up, each facility will produce nearly 2 million kg (1,890 tonnes) of green hydrogen per year. In time, this production will grow with the hydrogen market and will be scaled up. Because of its strategic location within North Sea Port, the end product will be transportable by road, rail and waterways. Local industry will be able to purchase green hydrogen in order to meet its environmental objectives. Recently, the project for a third green hydrogen facility was started in Delfzijl (within Groningen Seaports). VoltH2 is a collaboration between Volt Energy (the company of founder André Jurres), Virya Energy and DIF Capital Partners. www.volth2.com

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent investment manager, with ca. EUR 11 billion in assets under management across ten closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF invests in infrastructure companies and assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Australia through two complementary strategies:

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

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 190 professionals, based in eleven offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, Helsinki, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, New York, Paris, Santiago, Sydney, and Toronto. For more information please visit www.dif.eu.

Contact: Thijs Verburg, t.verburg@dif.eu.

About Virya Energy

Virya Energy was founded in late 2019 by Colruyt Group and Korys. The energy holding company has shares in Parkwind, Eurowatt, Eoly Energy, Sanchore and recently also in VoltH2.

Virya Energy focuses on the development, financing, construction, exploitation and storage of renewable energy. All of these companies possess a wealth of complementary expertise. By sharing knowledge and enabling them to work together, Virya Energy aims to create economies of scale and take a leading role in the rapidly evolving renewable energy sector. Virya Energy and its subsidiaries worldwide have a capacity of 1 GW of green energy. This includes onshore and offshore wind power and a number of initiatives for green hydrogen such as Hyoffwind.