Schiphol Archives - Page 2 of 4 - DIF Capital Partners

24 March 2022 | Schiphol

PGGM Infrastructure Fund and DIF Capital Partners reach agreement for intended acquisition of Enexis-subsidiary Fudura

Proposed new owners announce substantial investments in company with key role in Dutch energy transition

A consortium of DIF Capital Partners, through its DIF Infrastructure VI fund (“DIF”), and PGGM Infrastructure Fund (“PGGM”) has entered into an agreement for the acquisition of Fudura B.V., a subsidiary of Enexis Groep. PGGM and DIF will both acquire 50 percent of the shares. PGGM invests pension capital from, among others, Pensioenfonds Zorg en Welzijn for its three million participants, while DIF’s investment fund is supported by a large number of Dutch and international pension funds and insurance companies.

Fudura is the market leading B2B provider of medium-voltage electricity infrastructure (mainly transformers), metering devices and related data services in the Netherlands. With the intended acquisition, the new investors add a company to their investment portfolios that plays an important role in the Dutch energy transition. Fudura is active in offering services to companies seeking solutions for energy efficiency, security of energy supply and CO2 neutrality. Fudura currently has 22,000 business customers, being a combination of larger companies, public institutions such as hospitals, and SMEs. Within all these client segments there is a great urgency for a more sustainable energy consumption.

Fudura’s strategy to broaden its services within the energy transition is fully endorsed by the new intended shareholders. Various solutions will be offered, such as the delivery of solar panels, batteries, EV chargers and electric heating solutions. With this, Fudura wants to meet the increased demand from business customers to reduce their CO2 footprint, reduce dependence on natural gas and guarantee energy security.

René Pruijssers, director of Fudura: ,,As director of Fudura I am very pleased with selecting DIF and PGGM. With these partners Fudura can further develop as the energy transition platform for business customers. Fudura’s customers, employees and partners will benefit from the knowledge and ambition of DIF and PGGM to make the Netherlands more sustainable.’’

Erik van de Brake, head of Infrastructure at PGGM: ,,Fudura fits perfectly into PGGM’s strategy to make long-term investments for our clients, including Pensioenfonds Zorg en Welzijn, which are not only financially attractive, but also have a positive impact on our society. We are faced with the enormous task of making the Netherlands CO2 neutral within a few decades, and companies such as Fudura play a very important role in this. Fudura will become part of our investment portfolio, which, in addition to Fudura, also contains a number of other investments that play a key role in realizing the energy transition and will help to accelerate it.’’

Gijs Voskuyl, head of Core Infrastructure at DIF: ,,We are delighted with the acquisition of a 50% stake in Fudura. The company’s leading role in the energy transition in the Netherlands fits seamlessly with DIF’s own ambitions including having a CO2-neutral investment portfolio by 2050 the latest. In addition, we expect that DIF’s expertise in previous energy transition investments will contribute to a fruitful collaboration with both Fudura and co-shareholder PGGM.’’

Enexis and the consortium of DIF and PGGM have also made agreements about employment, sustainability and continuity of Fudura. The consortium of DIF and PGGM sees Fudura as a platform for the energy transition and commits itself to Fudura for a long period of time. The employment and working conditions of Fudura’s employees are guaranteed and there is support for Fudura’s strategy and its role in the energy transition. These agreements are laid down in the signed document and are an integral part of this intended transaction.

About Fudura

Fudura B.V. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Enexis Groep and is active in the non-regulated part of the energy market. Fudura focuses on business services to optimize and make the energy supply of more than 22,000 business customers in the Netherlands more sustainable. Fudura provides advice, measures, designs and realizes infrastructures and manages and maintains meters, charging stations, transformers and switchgear. Fudura is the market leader in its segment.

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent investment manager, with ca. EUR 10 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 Australia through two complementary strategies:

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 CIF funds target equity investments in small to mid-sized core-plus infrastructure companies in the telecom, energy transition, and transportation sectors.

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 180 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.

About PGGM

PGGM is a not-for-profit cooperative pension fund service provider. As a pensions administrator, asset manager and advisor to pension fund boards, it executes its social mandate: to provide for good old-age incomes for 4.4 million participants in the Netherlands. On December 31, 2021 PGGM managed long-term pension capital of EUR 291 billion worldwide. Rooted firmly in the Dutch healthcare sector, PGGM develops innovative provisions for labour market issues in this sector, alone or with strategic partners. Our member organisation PGGM&CO supports 764,000 workers and pensioners with a background in healthcare. www.pggm.nl.

For more information:

DIF Capital Partners

Allard Ruijs, a.ruijs@dif.eu, +31 (0)20 655 47 05

PGGM Corporate Communications

Maurice Wilbrink, maurice.wilbrink@pggm.nl, +31 (0)30 277 97 35

8 March 2022 | Schiphol

Keynote Interview Wim Blaasse in Annual Review Infrastructure Investor 2022

Infrastructure as an asset class has grown very quickly in the past years and opportunities for growth remain significant.

In the 2022 edition of the Infrastructure Investor Annual Review DIF Managing Partner Wim Blaasse explains why infrastructure as an asset class is so attractive, what’s the DIF approach towards tapping opportunities in the midmarket segment of the global infrastructure market and what’s his outlook for 2022 and beyond.

To read the complete article open Keynote Interview Wim Blaasse – Infrastructure Investor Annual Review (March 2022)

30 November 2021 | Schiphol

DIF Capital Partners releases ESG annual report “Our path to Net Zero”

Today, DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”) publishes its ESG report “Our path to Net Zero” outlining its ambitions and contributions to ESG and climate change over the last year. We are proud to report significant continuing progress since we reached A+ UNPRI scores for our ESG approach last year. Over the years DIF has successfully embedded ESG in its investment principles, policies and processes.

Sustainable management of our investments

ESG improvements remain a corporate priority and active engagement with our investments is key to our success. ESG is considered in all stages of the investment cycle, from initial ESG screening during the investment phase to annual ESG actions plans. Our focus is on five areas which we see as most relevant to the sustainable management of investments: Governance, Safety, Environment, Human Capital & Community and Climate Resilience.

We have realized significant performance improvements across these five core ESG areas by creating individual plans for each investment and by closely monitoring progress. This included among others the implementation of higher safety standards, increased investments in local communities and enhanced management of climate risk.

In addition, we outline the positive contribution of our portfolio to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the intrinsic public benefit of these investments.

A huge step forward is our decision in 2021 to commit ourselves to become a Net Zero investment manager – in line with the global effort to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or sooner.

Looking ahead

Core to our business is an appreciation of the strong connection between our investments, their users and our own employees. That’s why we pride ourselves in taking care of our own people and communities, in “walking the talk” on the environment and promoting diversity and equality of opportunity.

The decisions made during COP26 Glasgow indicate that global leaders are aware of the fact that now is the time to act to stop global warming. DIF will continue its focus on a net zero future and increase its sustainability efforts across its portfolio and the organization. This is how DIF contributes to ensure a safer and energy efficient world that is focused on a positive impact on local communities.

More information on the progress made on the DIF Path to Net Zero and contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals can be read by downloading the DIF ESG Report 2021.

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent investment manager, with more than €9.0 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:

DIF CIF funds target equity investments in small to mid-sized economic infrastructure assets in the telecom, energy transition, and transportation sectors.
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 Capital Partners has a team of over 170 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.

Contact:

Allard Ruijs, IR & BD
Email: a.ruijs@dif.eu

11 November 2021 | Schiphol

DIF Capital Partners closes its ESG equity bridge facility

DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”) is pleased to announce that it has increased its equity bridge facility with ESG linked performance criteria to EUR 900 million. The facility was closed by DIF Infrastructure VI (“DIF VI”) and is provided by a club of banks comprising ABN AMRO, Rabobank, BMO, CIBC, ING Bank and CBA, with ABN AMRO acting as agent.

This is DIF’s first ESG equity bridge facility, evidencing the company’s desire to positively contribute to a sustainable future for the environment and society in general. The facility contains a set of ESG KPIs related to the ESG performance of DIF as a manager and the ESG performance improvement of the underlying portfolio on key ESG areas such as safety, environment, climate resilience and community, including third party assurance.

In return, DIF VI benefits from a reduction in margin on the facility upon meeting those KPIs, reflecting the lenders’ own ESG support and commitment to a sustainable future.

“We are delighted to be working again with our long term partners ABN AMRO, Rabobank, BMO, CIBC, ING Bank and CBA in relation to this very innovative facility with clearly described ESG KPIs. This closing confirms and strengthens DIF’s position as leader in the ESG space within the private equity community and we continue to be committed to deliver a positive contribution to a sustainable future” said Robert Doekes, CFO at DIF Capital Partners.

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent fund manager, with more than €9.0 billion in 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, of which DIF CIF II is the latest vintage, target equity investments in small to mid-sized economic infrastructure assets in the telecom, energy, and transportation sectors.

DIF supports the goal of Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, in-line with global efforts as a result of the Paris Agreement to have net zero emissions by 2050, or sooner.

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 170 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.

Contact:
Allard Ruijs, IR & BD
Email: a.ruijs@dif.eu

22 September 2021 | Schiphol

DIF Capital Partners announces successions of Head of Renewable Energy and Head of Germany

DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”) today announces two significant successions in its senior leadership team:

Based in London, Caine Bouwmeester will take over the role as Head of Renewable Energy from Christopher Mansfield; and
In Frankfurt, Marcel Beverungen will take over the position as Head of Germany from Carl Jobst von Hoersten.

Christopher Mansfield and Carl Jobst von Hoersten are both retiring as Partners after 13 years in their roles as Head of Renewable Energy and Head of Germany, respectively. Christopher has led DIF’s renewables practice from its start in 2008, having overseen more than 70 investments and/or realisations across 4 continents, with an installed capacity of over 4GW, establishing DIF as a leading global player in renewables.

Carl Jobst founded the Frankfurt office in 2008 and has successfully developed DIF’s presence in the DACH region as one of DIF’s key markets. Over the years, DIF has completed more than 30 investments in Germany in renewables, PPPs, utilities, energy, rail and container leasing and has become one of the leading midmarket players in German infrastructure.

While they are retiring from their full-time roles, DIF is pleased to be able to continue to benefit from Carl Jobst’s and Christopher’s experience and knowledge, given that they will be taking on certain non-executive roles at DIF.

The successors of Christopher and Carl Jobst both joined DIF in 2020. Caine Bouwmeester is a Managing Director and joined from Macquarie’s Green Investment Group (GIG) in London, where he was responsible for the origination and execution of renewable energy investments in Europe. Caine has a track record of developing, acquiring and financing renewable energy projects and companies across Europe, North America and Africa. He has a Master’s degree in Finance from INSEAD and Bachelor’s degrees in Business and Financial Mathematics from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Marcel Beverungen is a Managing Director and joined from Rothschild in Frankfurt, where he was responsible for energy & power and infrastructure origination and execution in the DACH region. Prior to Rothschild, Marcel worked for UBS and Dresdner Kleinwort in Frankfurt and London. He has a Master’s degrees from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (Germany) and the University of Sankt Gallen (Switzerland).

Wim Blaasse, Managing Partner: “We would like to express deep gratitude to Christopher and Carl Jobst for their commitment and their contribution to the growth of the DIF platform over the last 13 years. At the same time, we are excited to welcome Marcel and Caine in their new roles and I am convinced they too will make a valuable contribution to DIF in the coming years through their new roles as Head of Renewable Energy and Head of Germany.”

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent fund manager, with more than €9.0 billion in 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 ten offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, New York, Paris, Santiago, Sydney, and Toronto. For further information please visit www.dif.eu

Contact:

Allard Ruijs, Partner

Email: a.ruijs@dif.eu

16 September 2021 | Schiphol

DIF Capital Partners opens New York office and bolsters team with two senior hires

Continuing to build on the firm’s strong current momentum, DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”) today announces the opening of an office in New York (US) and the hiring of two senior professionals to bolster its investment and investor relations & business development teams.

The New York office will further deepen DIF’s US presence and its team will work closely with the team in the Toronto office which was established in 2012 to cover the North American market. The opening of the New York office is the 10^th local office in DIF’s global platform. Over the past ca. 10 years DIF invested more than USD 1 billion in North America across 18 different investments. The New York and Toronto offices are led by Marko Kremer, partner and Head of DIF’s North American franchise.

Kanan Joshi is joining the New York office as a Senior Director and as DIF’s first US hire. She joins the firm to spearhead its investments and strategy in the US digital infrastructure sector. She brings over 15 years of experience and has a strong track record in sourcing and investing in digital infrastructure assets. Most recently Kanan was the Head of Telecom Infrastructure at Upper Bay. Before that she worked at Digital Bridge and Deutsche Bank in New York, where she was responsible for the origination, structuring and execution of telecom investments across North America, Latin America and Asia. Kanan has deep domain expertise in data centers, cell towers and telecom industries, and enjoys long-standing relationships with established management teams. She has an MBA from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Mumbai.

In addition, DIF’s global investor relations & business development team is announcing expansion with the hire of Luuk Veenstra, who joins the team as a Senior Director to cover a part of Europe and the Middle-East. Luuk has joined the DIF Schiphol office from M&G in New York, where he established the institutional business development & distribution business for North America. He was previously based in Amsterdam, working with the leading institutional investors in the Benelux. Before M&G, Luuk worked for PGGM’s infrastructure investment team, and for RBC and NIBC in various positions and locations globally, including 10 years in London. Luuk holds an MSc in Monetary Economics from the University of Groningen.

Wim Blaasse, Managing Partner: “Establishing an office in New York is part of our global strategy to establish a strong local presence in the key countries DIF invests in. We are also more than excited to welcome Kanan and Luuk to our firm. We are delighted to have recruited two such high calibre professionals to strengthen DIF’s investment and investor relations team. DIF expects to leverage Kanan’s unique background to help us stay at the forefront of emerging trends, partner with management teams and maximize value for our investors. Luuk will play a key role in further developing DIF’s LP network to support the growth of the DIF platform leveraging on his global distribution, business development and infrastructure investment experience.”

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent fund manager, with more than €9.0 billion in 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 ten offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, New York, Paris, Santiago, Sydney, and Toronto. For further information please visit www.dif.eu

Contact:

Allard Ruijs, Partner

Email: a.ruijs@dif.eu

3 June 2021 | Schiphol

DIF Capital Partners commits to Net Zero emissions today

DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”) is pleased to announce its commitment to Net Zero. As a globally operating private markets fund manager, DIF supports the goal of Net Zero greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions by 2050, in line with global efforts as a result of the Paris Agreement to have net zero emissions by 2050, or sooner. Since 2019, DIF has been measuring its own GHG emissions, taking steps to reduce its per capita emissions and offsetting the remainder. DIF is committed to continue doing this.

In addition, DIF commits to invest in line with the Paris Agreement targeting to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050, or sooner, by taking the following steps:

Continue working with DIF’s portfolio companies to measure GHG emissions and identifying pathways to reduce emissions with the Paris aligned goal of net zero target by 2050, or sooner;
Continuing DIF’s global investment program into renewable energy and related infrastructure to support the global energy transition to decarbonised sources of energy;
Reporting in line with the Task Force on Climate-related Disclosures (“TFCD”) recommendations; and
Reporting on DIF’s progress annually.

Finally, DIF has become a signatory to the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (“IIGCC”) as part of its advocacy on climate change. Together with this initiative DIF will work towards Net Zero solutions for the infrastructure investment market.

Wim Blaasse, Managing Partner, further comments: “We believe that the single biggest threat faced by our generation is climate change. At DIF we see it as our responsibility to apply the same urgency of action to climate issues, as we have done in our response to coronavirus, and we invite all our stakeholders to join us on this commitment.”

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent fund manager, with €9.0 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 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.

27 May 2021 | Schiphol

DIF CIF II reaches final close above €1.0 billion target size

DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”) is pleased to announce the final close of DIF Core Infrastructure Fund II (“DIF CIF II”) at €1,012 million, exceeding its €1,000 million target.

DIF CIF II targets equity investments in the small- and mid-sized economic infrastructure market in pre-dominantly telecom, transportation and energy. DIF CIF II focuses on resilient companies and platforms that have a clear buy-and-build strategy – all with an asset-heavy business model. Its investments typically have medium-term contract cover and strong value enhancement potential. The fund targets both greenfield and operational investments, with a key focus on Europe and North America.

DIF CIF II is the successor fund of DIF CIF I, which held its final close in November 2017 at €450 million and invested in 13 companies and platforms in the telecom, energy and transportation sectors. DIF CIF II has seen strong backing from existing (both CIF and Traditional DIF funds) and new investors to the DIF platform, receiving commitments from leading institutional investors from EMEA and North America.

Allard Ruijs, Partner at DIF Capital Partners said: “We are thankful for the strong support received from investors for the DIF CIF II partnership. The CIF strategy is a relatively young strategy for DIF and the success of the fundraising of this second fund, especially during unprecedented and challenging Covid-19 times, shows the strength of the DIF platform and the attractiveness of the DIF CIF II proposition. The fact that many of our existing investors, from both DIF CIF I and the Traditional DIF funds, have backed this strategy proves that our investors value the complementarities of the two strategies. The fund will be leveraging DIF’s large global office network and dedicated local teams to source and manage attractive investment opportunities and build a resilient and diversified portfolio.”

DIF CIF II has made a strong start, having committed to five investments to date thereby deploying ca. 35% of the fund. This includes investments in (i) Valley Fiber, a Canadian telecom infrastructure platform, (ii) IELO, a French B2B wholesale fiber operator and developer, (iii) Touax Rail, a French railcar leasing company, (iv) 4^th Utility, a UK fiber developer, and (v) Bartolomeo, an Irish container leasing platform. Furthermore, the fund has a strong pipeline of investments across its target sectors and geographies.

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent fund manager, with €9.0 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 CIF funds target equity investments in small to mid-sized economic infrastructure assets in the telecom, energy and transportation sectors.
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 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

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.