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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.

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6 September 2022  |  Schiphol

Willem Jansonius in Mid Market Roundtable | Infrastructure Investor September 2022

The magic of the mid-market.

In the 2022 edition of the Infrastructure Investor Mid Market Roundtable DIF’s Head of CIF Willem Jansonius explains why the mid market is such an interesting part of the infrastructure space, continuing to offer highly attractive investment opportunities for the DIF strategies.

To read the complete article, please open Willem Jansonius in Mid Market Roundtable (September 2022)

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6 May 2022  |  London

Keynote Interview Caine Bouwmeester in II Energy Transition Report 2022

Infra managers need to take an agile approach to seize the best opportunities in the renewables as well as broader energy transition market.

In the 2022 edition of Infrastructure Investor’s Energy Transition Report, DIF’s Head of Renewable Energy Caine Bouwmeester explains why the renewable energy and energy transition market will continue to show strong growth and what DIF’s approach is to this highly attractive market, offering a wide variety of investment opportunities.

To read the complete article open II Key Note Interview with Caine Bouwmeester

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23 February 2022  |  Paris

DIF Capital Partners acquires 80% stake in French waste-to-energy project Dombasle Énergie

DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”) is pleased to announce the acquisition of an 80% stake in Dombasle Énergie, a French greenfield waste-to-energy project, located in Dombasle-sur-Meurthe in the North-East of France. The investment is made through DIF Infrastructure VI, alongside Solvay (10%) and Veolia (10%).

The project comprises the replacement of three coal-fired boilers with a new boiler room equipped with two furnaces running on 350,000 tonnes per year of refuse-derived fuel (“RDF”) produced from various types of nonhazardous waste that cannot be recycled.

The EUR 225 million capex project is scheduled to become operational before the end of 2024 and will directly and indirectly employ over 1,000 people. The project will combust 344kt per annum and has a capacity of 181 MW thermal power and 17.5 MW electrical power from a steam turbine, which will be reused for the industrial process. As the first project of its kind in France, Dombasle Énergie will (i) cut the site’s carbon footprint by about 50% (240,000 tonnes of CO2 reduction) per year and (ii) create a new outlet for waste (primarily from the Grand Est and neighbouring regions) that was initially non-recyclable and which will now be transformed into green energy.

Gijs Voskuyl, Partner and head of DIF’s core infra investment strategies: “With increasing pressure on landfill capacity and concerted community efforts to reduce landfill levels, waste-to-energy represents a significant opportunity for the generation of affordable green power across the globe. We are delighted to partner with Solvay as well as Veolia in this ambitious project which will significantly reduce Solvay’s carbon footprint as well as reuse 350,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste, of which otherwise the majority would have been landfilled. Renewable energy investments are an essential part of DIF’s investment mandate, evidencing the company’s desire to positively contribute to a more sustainable future”.

The project secured long term non-recourse debt financing from Credit Agricole Leasing & Factoring’s subsidiary Unifergie and Bpifrance. Dombasle Énergie also benefited from the support of the Grand Est region and French environmental authority ADEME, as well as other private partners.

Advisors on the transaction included De Pardieu Brocas Maffei (legal) and H3P (financial) for the sponsors. The lenders were advised by Herbert Smith Freehills (legal), SETEC (technical) and Marsh (insurance). Other advisors included Sigée Finance (model audit), Willkie Farr & Gallagher (tax audit) and ESTER (hedging).

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent investment manager, with more than €9.8 billion in assets under management across nine closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF invests in infrastructure companies and assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

  • Traditional DIF funds, of which DIF Infrastructure 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 transition, and transportation sectors.

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 180 professionals, based in ten offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, New York, Paris, Santiago, Sydney, and Toronto. For more information please visit www.dif.eu.

More information:

Jorda Zuurendonk, Marketing & Communication Manager

j.zuurendonk@dif.eu

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13 January 2021  |  London

DIF Capital Partners acquires additional stake in Dublin Waste to Energy PPP project

Following its initial investment in May 2019, DIF Capital Partners, through DIF Infrastructure V (“DIF”), is pleased to announce it has closed the acquisition of an additional 10% stake in the Dublin Waste to Energy PPP project (the “Project”). Together with its partner MEAG, DIF acquired the stake from the Green Investment Group (“GIG”). Following this transaction, DIF and MEAG together now hold 50% of the Project, with DIF holding the majority thereof. The Project is an operational waste to energy facility supported by a 45 year contract with Dublin City Council.

Located in Poolbeg, Dublin Port, the Project processes 600,000 tonnes of residual waste annually and generates electricity which is exported to Ireland’s national grid – sufficient to power 80,000 homes. The facility has been designed to provide highly efficient incineration and is classified as energy recovery in line with EU policy on waste. The Project is part of a wider Dublin regional waste management plan, which is aimed at reducing waste, maximizing recycling and generating energy from waste. The Project benefits from the Irish renewable energy feed-in tariff. The facility was constructed by Covanta who are also its long term operator.

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.

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4 June 2019  |  London

DIF acquires stake in Dublin Waste to Energy PPP project

DIF, through its most recent fund DIF Infrastructure V, is pleased to announce that it has closed the acquisition of a stake in the Dublin Waste to Energy PPP project (the “Project”). The Project is an operational waste to energy facility supported by a 45 year contract with Dublin City Council. DIF Infrastructure V acquired the stake from Macquarie’s Green Investment Group Limited (“GIG”), who remain a shareholder in the Project.

Located in Poolbeg, Dublin Port, the Project processes 600,000 tonnes of residual waste annually and generates electricity which is exported to Ireland’s national grid – sufficient to power 80,000 homes. The facility has been designed to provide highly efficient incineration and is classified as energy recovery in line with EU policy on waste. The Project is part of a wider Dublin regional waste management plan, which is aimed at reducing waste, maximizing recycling and generating energy from waste. The Project benefits from the Irish renewable energy feed-in tariff. The facility was constructed by Covanta who are also its long term operators.

Gijs Voskuyl, Partner at DIF, said “DIF is pleased to invest in the Dublin Waste to Energy Project, a well-managed and high-quality asset, which is expected to provide a stable return to our investors. As result of the investment, DIF further expands its footprint in the waste to energy sector, following the investment in Avertas Energy, an Australian waste to energy facility, alongside Macquarie in 2018. DIF is delighted to invest again in Ireland, partnering with GIG and Covanta, who are both very active and reputable investors in the waste sector”.

DIF was advised by Ashurst (Legal), PwC (Financial), Arup (Technical), SLR (Market) and Grant Thornton (Tax).   

About DIF

DIF is an independent infrastructure fund manager, with €5.6 billion of assets under management across seven closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF invests in greenfield and brownfield infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, North America and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

  • DIF Infrastructure V targets equity investments in public-private partnerships (PPP/PFI/P3), concessions, regulated assets and renewable energy projects with long-term contracted or regulated income streams that generate stable and predictable cash flows.
  • DIF Core Infrastructure Fund I targets equity investments in small to mid-sized infrastructure assets in the energy, transportation and telecom sectors with mid-term contracted income streams that generate stable and predictable cash flows.

DIF has a team of over 120 professionals, based in eight offices located in Schiphol (the Netherlands), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Sydney and Toronto. Please visit www.dif.eu for further information.

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

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17 October 2018  |  Sydney

DIF invests in Australian waste-to-energy facility

DIF is pleased to announce that a consortium comprising DIF, Macquarie Capital and Phoenix Energy Australia has achieved financial close on a greenfield waste-to-energy facility in Kwinana, near Perth, Australia. DIF has acquired a 60% shareholding in the project through two of its funds: DIF Infrastructure IV and DIF Infrastructure V.

Once operational the facility will divert up to 400,000 metrics tons of household, commercial, and industrial waste from landfills each year, representing a quarter of Perth’s post-recycling rubbish. The facility will benefit from long term municipal waste supply agreements with Rivers Regional Council and the City of Kwinana, two regional councils located in the Perth region.

At the facility the waste will undergo thermal treatment, whereby the recovered energy is converted into steam to produce electricity. Metallic materials will be recovered and recycled, while other by-products of the process will be reused as construction materials. At full capacity, the facility will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 200,000 metric tons per year, the equivalent of taking 43,000 cars off the road.

Acciona, a global leader in waste-to-energy facilities, will design and construct the facility. The facility will use Keppel-Seghers moving grate technology, a proven technology which is used in over 100 waste-to-energy facilities across the globe. During the construction phase, more than 800 jobs will be created including apprenticeships and a range of sub-contracting and supply opportunities for local businesses. Construction will commence this month, while start of operations is planned for the end of 2021.

Once operational Veolia, which operates over 60 waste-to-energy plants across the globe, will operate and maintain the facility under a 25-year agreement. During the operational phase approximately 60 full-time positions will be created.

Managing Director of DIF Australia, Marko Kremer, added: “DIF is excited to invest in this landmark waste-to-energy facility in Australia and looks forward to continuing its contribution to the sector going forward. European countries have long embraced the conversion of waste into energy, which has proven to deliver multiple benefits in terms of managing waste and contributing to a sustainable and secure energy supply.”

About DIF

DIF is an independent infrastructure fund manager, with €5.6 billion of assets under management across seven closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF invests in greenfield and brownfield infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, North America and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

  • DIF Infrastructure V targets equity investments in public-private partnerships (PPP/PFI/P3), concessions, regulated assets and renewable energy projects with long-term contracted or regulated income streams that generate stable and predictable cash flows.
  • DIF Core Infrastructure Fund I targets equity investments in small to mid-sized infrastructure assets in the energy, transportation and telecom sectors with mid-term contracted income streams that generate stable and predictable cash flows.

DIF has over 100 professionals in eight offices, located in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Sydney and Toronto. Please see www.dif.eu or further information on DIF.

For further information on the project please contact:

Allard Ruijs
Partner
Email: a.ruijs@dif.eu

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