DIF organised a conference on Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) factors in the infrastructure sector, focused on road projects. At DIF, we believe our role is to create opportunities for our portfolio investments to communicate and exchange ideas to break barriers to the realisation of ESG initiatives. The aim of the conference was to create the opportunity for these road projects to exchange on ESG initiatives and best practices.

The ESG Road Projects conference was well attended by a variety of representatives from road projects across Europe, including Portugal, France, Germany and Ireland. Attendants also included peers from the investment management industry and service providers. The day was organised around the themes of safety and environment, the two main areas for road projects that were identified in our 2018 ESG Survey (please refer to our 2018 ESG Report for more details https://www.dif.eu/responsible-investment).

The topics that were covered sharing best practice in the following areas:

• How to increase road safety by facilitating resting areas for heavy goods vehicles and bringing the maintenance staff in contact with the truck drivers;
• Supporting landscaping and mobility projects in the local communities;
• Improving safety on adjacent roads;
• Increasing the employment opportunities for people with a distance to the labour market;
• Reducing energy consumption through the implementation of a dimming program for street lighting;
• The success of interactive behavioural health and safety training;
• Use of social media to send traffic alert and road safety campaigns for road users.

Our key take-aways from the conference are:

• Infrastructure asset managers are convinced of the added value of sound ESG management for the long-term value and resilience of their assets and are already actively working on ESG topics;
• Every single asset, small or large, in construction or in operation, has the potential to realise ESG initiatives.

The conference fits well into our conviction that sound ESG management is synonymous with good business and will enhance the ultimate returns from our investments.

As part of its ESG strategy DIF is committed to:

• Being a responsible company that respects the interests of its environment and its stakeholders, including the investors in its funds, shareholders, business counterparties, employees, workers on and users of the assets in which its funds invest and the surrounding local communities;
• Promoting organizational behaviour, in line with our ethical beliefs and best industry practice;
• Adopting a transparent and pro-active approach to ESG and its implementation.

For more information regarding ESG and/or to indicate your interest in participating in future events, please contact Frank Siblesz, Head of ESG (f.siblesz@dif.eu).

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 115 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.

DIF is pleased to announce that, as part of the LuWa consortium, it has reached financial close on Plan Lumiere 4.0, an availability PPP project involving the modernisation and maintenance of the street lighting network across the Walloon region’s main roads.

The consortium consists of DIF Infrastructure V (70% equity stake), together with its partners Citelum, CFE and Luminus. The authority partner is the Société de Financement Complémentaire des Infrastructures (SOFICO), the public company established to finance the maintenance and upgrade of motorways and other main roads in the Walloon region.

The 20 year DBFM contract covers 2,700 km of roads and interchanges. The project includes the replacement of approximately 100,000 street lights by modern LEDs with dimming capability, as well as the installation of a remote monitoring and management system.

The modernisation program will reduce the energy consumption of the network by 76%, equivalent to a reduction in CO2 emissions of 166,000 tons over the life of the project, as well reduce the light pollution generated by the network. Furthermore, the project will enhance regional employment opportunities: 400 new jobs will be created and 100,000 professional training hours will be organized together with the regional employment agency.

Gijs Voskuyl, partner at DIF, added: “DIF is proud to invest in this innovative project, which incorporates significant technological and ESG improvements, to the benefit of road users, local communities and the environment.”

Total debt funding for the project amounts to €230 million secured from BBVA, Belfius, BNP Paribas, KBC, SMBC and Société Générale.

Advisers to the consortium are Belfius/BDO (financial), DLA Piper (legal), Tiberghien (tax & accounting) and Operis (model audit). Advisors to the lenders are Jones Day (legal), AECOM (technical) and Willis Towers Watson (insurance).

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 110 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
Email: a.ruijs@dif.eu

DIF is pleased to announce that the Tram’Ardent consortium, comprising DIF Infrastructure V (80%), French civil construction firm Colas (10%) and Spanish rolling stock manufacturer Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF, 10%), has reached financial close on the Liège Tram PPP in Belgium.

This availability-based public-private partnership contract with Opérateur du Transport de Wallonie, the regional public transport company, involves the design, building, financing and maintenance of a tram line in the centre of Liège between Sclessin, Coronmeuse and Bressoux Station. It includes circa 12 km of rail track (of which over 3 km catenary-less), 21 stations, 20 trams, a maintenance depot, 2 park-and-ride facilities and improvements to the surrounding urban area. Construction will start immediately, with completion expected in the second half of 2022. Thereafter the consortium will maintain the project for circa 27 years, until 2050.

Total funding for the project amounts to €429 million, including long-term debt secured from the European Investment Bank (EIB), Belfius, BBVA, Natixis, AG Insurance and Talanx. The EIB will fund half of the term loan, totalling €193 million, backed by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI).

Managing Partner of DIF, Wim Blaasse, added: “DIF is exited to invest in this landmark project, which will benefit the community of Liège by increasing mobility whilst decreasing carbon emissions. It is the result of our strong relationship with both Colas and CAF, with each of whom we are successfully pursuing other opportunities around the globe.”

Advisers to the consortium are Natixis (financial), DLA Piper (legal), Loyens & Loeff (tax & accounting) and BDO (model audit). Advisors to the lenders are Loyens & Loeff (legal), Clifford Chance (EIB legal), Infrata (technical) and Aon (insurance).

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 110 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
Email: a.ruijs@dif.eu

DIF is pleased to announce the appointment of Marko Kremer and Andrew Freeman to Partner. Their promotion from Managing Director is in response to their personal contributions to the success and growth of the firm.

Speaking on behalf of the existing Partners, Managing Partner Wim Blaasse said, “”We are very pleased to welcome Marko and Andrew into the Partnership. Marko and Andrew have contributed strongly to the success of DIF and I am confident that they will continue to play leading roles in the further build out of the DIF platform.”

About Marko
Marko Kremer is Head of Australia. He leads the Sydney office and is responsible for the origination, execution and optimisation of transactions in Australia and New Zeeland. He joined DIF in 2008 as a member of the Origination Team in DIF’s Schiphol office in the Netherlands. In 2015 he moved to Australia to establish the Sydney office, which he has successfully built out to seven team members and completed the acquisition of nine assets in the region.

Prior to joining DIF, he was in the Leveraged Finance Team at ABN AMRO, responsible for originating, structuring and executing leveraged finance opportunities. Marko holds a master’s degree in Management Engineering from the University of Twente and is a CFA and CAIA charter holder.

About Andrew
Andrew Freeman is Head of Exits and Head of the UK office. He is responsible for leading, preparing and executing the exit of projects and Funds managed by DIF. This includes the landmark sale of the remaining 48 projects in DIF Infrastructure II, with a combined value of ca. €650 million, to APG in 2017. In addition, he is responsible for the management of the UK office. He joined DIF in 2011 as a member of the Origination Team, focused on the origination, execution and optimisation of transactions in the United Kingdom.

Prior to joining DIF, he was in the Infrastructure Team at PwC, responsible for advising on primary and secondary PPP transactions, with a focus on fund setups and exits, listings and valuations. Andrew holds a bachelor’s degree in Accountancy from the University of Portsmouth and is registered as a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.

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 110 professionals, based in eight offices located in Schiphol (the Netherlands), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Sydney and Toronto. Please see www.dif.eu or further information on DIF.

For further information please contact:

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

DIF is pleased to announce the final close of DIF Infrastructure V (DIF V) at the hard-cap of €1.9 billion.

DIF V marks the firm’s sixth successful fund raising for this strategy, following the raising of DIF Infrastructure IV (2015), DIF Infrastructure III (2012), DIF Infrastructure II (2008), DIF Renewable Energy (2007) and DIF PPP (2005). Since 2005, DIF has invested in excess of 165 unique infrastructure projects within this strategy.

Wim Blaasse, Managing Partner of DIF said: “I am extremely proud of this achievement, which is a testament to the strength of the DIF platform. Over the past 13 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. I am confident that we will continue to be successful in our chosen strategy, leveraging our unique global office network and dedicated local teams to complete attractive investment opportunities.

DIF V targets equity investments in public-private partnerships (PPP/PFI/P3), concessions, regulated assets and renewable energy projects which have long-term contracted or regulated income streams that generate stable and predictable cash flows as well as attractive risk-adjusted returns. The fund targets both greenfield and brownfield projects in primarily Europe, North America and Australasia.

DIF V had an accelerated first close in June 2017, enabling the closing of certain pending investment opportunities, with final close occurring on the 15^th of May 2018 at an increased hard-cap of €1.9 billion. DIF V has seen strong backing from both existing and new investors in the DIF platform, receiving commitments from leading institutional investors across the globe.

DIF V has committed to eight investments to date, deploying ca. 30% of the fund. This includes investments in Affinity Water, a UK regulated water asset; Autostrade per l’Italia, a large and diversified portfolio of Italian toll roads; University of Tasmania (UTAS), an Australian student housing concession; Synergy, a portfolio of utility scale wind and solar PV power projects in Australia; and American Roads, a portfolio of five US toll roads. Furthermore, the fund has a strong pipeline of investments across its target sectors and geographies, including both greenfield and brownfield projects.

About DIF
DIF is an independent and specialist infrastructure investor and fund manager, with €5.6 billion assets under management across seven closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF invests in the global infrastructure market through two differentiated and complementary strategies:

• DIF Infrastructure V targets equity investments in public-private partnerships (PPP/PFI/P3), concessions, regulated assets and renewable energy projects which have long-term contracted or regulated income streams that generate stable and predictable cash flows. The fund targets both greenfield and brownfield projects in primarily Europe, North America and Australasia.
• DIF Core Infrastructure Fund I targets equity investments in small to mid-sized infrastructure assets in amongst others the energy, transportation and telecom sectors which generate stable and predictable cash flows that are protected through mid-term contracted income streams. The fund targets greenfield and brownfield investments in Europe, North America and Australasia.

DIF has a team of over 95 professionals in eight offices, located in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Sydney and Toronto, through which it covers its target markets with dedicated local teams.

For more information, please contact:

Allard Ruijs
Partner, Head of Investor Relations and Business Development
Email: a.ruijs@dif.eu
Website: www.dif.eu

DIF is pleased to announce the appointment of Gijs Voskuyl as a Partner.

Gijs has been with DIF since 2008. From 2008 to 2012 he worked on primary and secondary PPP projects in the UK and continental Europe. He then moved to Toronto to open up the North American market for DIF, focussing especially on P3 and renewable energy projects. Since 2016 Gijs has been based at DIF’s Schiphol office as a Managing Director and Deputy Head of Infrastructure. Prior to DIF, he worked for ING’s infrastructure finance & advisory department in Amsterdam. Gijs holds a Master’s degree at the Technical University of Delft, faculty technology, policy and management.

DIF Profile

DIF is an independent and specialist fund management company, managing funds of approximately €4.6 billion across seven closed-end investment funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF invests in the global infrastructure market through two differentiated and complementary strategies.

The majority of DIF’s funds, including DIF Infrastructure V, target PPP / PFI / P3, regulated infrastructure assets and renewable energy projects.

DIF CIF I targets small to mid-sized infrastructure assets in the telecom infrastructure, rail, energy and utility sectors that generate stable and predictable cash flows that are contracted over the mid-term with highly rated entities.

Both strategies targets both greenfield and brownfield projects in Europe, North America and Australasia.

DIF has offices in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Paris, Luxembourg, Madrid, Toronto and Sydney.

Wim Blaasse, Managing Partner
Email: w.blaasse@dif.eu

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

DIF is pleased to announce the final close of DIF Core Infrastructure Fund I (“DIF CIF I”) at the hard cap of € 450 million.

Fundraising for DIF CIF I was officially launched in September 2016, with first close occurring in January 2017, and final close in November 2017. DIF CIF I experienced strong backing from both existing and new investors to the DIF platform.

DIF CIF I targets small to mid-sized infrastructure assets in the telecom infrastructure, rail, energy and utility sectors that generate stable and predictable cash flows that are contracted over the mid-term. The fund targets both greenfield and brownfield projects in Europe, North America and Australasia.

DIF CIF I is the first fund raised by DIF that pursues this particular strategy. The strategy is differentiated and complementary to the strategy pursued by DIF’s existing funds – DIF Infrastructure IV and its predecessors – which target PPP/concessions, regulated assets and renewable energy projects.

DIF CIF I has acquired two investments to date: a 25% interest in the Somerton Pipeline in Australia, and a 55% stake in the French fibre company ADTIM. Furthermore, it has a strong pipeline of investment opportunities across its target sectors and geographies targeted by the fund.

DIF Profile

DIF is an independent and specialist fund management company with ca. €4.3 billion assets under management across seven closed-end investment funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF invests in core infrastructure markets in Europe, North America and Australasia.

DIF has offices in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Paris, Luxembourg, Madrid, Toronto and Sydney.

For more information, please contact:

Willem Jansonius, Partner
E-mail: w.jansonius@dif.eu

Allard Ruijs, Partner
E-mail: a.ruijs@dif.eu