Ardian launches the first open-ended fund of €1 billion dedicated to the energy transition – EQ Mag Pro
The Ardian Clean Energy Evergreen Fund (ACEEF) is targeting €1 billion for its first investment cycle. As an Article 9 fund under the EU’s SFDR, it is a permanent, long-term investment platform entirely dedicated to financing clean energy.
Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, today announces the launch of a new open-ended fund – Ardian Clean Energy Evergreen Fund (ACEEF).
The fund is Ardian Infrastructure’s first evergreen fund, offering investors the opportunity to grow their exposure to renewables and the energy transition. It is an Article 9 fund under the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and therefore meets the highest social and environmental standards in Europe.
More than half of its €1bn target has already been invested in a seed portfolio of 12 wind and solar assets, totaling 1 GW of capacity in Europe and the Americas. The fund will continue to target mature renewable technologies including solar, wind and hydroelectric, as well as emerging technologies such as biogas, biomass, storage, and energy efficiency. The strategy is focused on operational optimization to maximize value creation. The fund targets up to €150m per individual investment.
The AXA Group is the cornerstone investor of ACEEF, and this partnership perfectly aligns with AXA’s ambition to fight climate change by financing the energy transition. As an open-ended structure, the fund will provide a permanent solution to Ardian’s clients to support renewable energy as part of Ardian’s wider energy transition strategy. The launch of ACEEF follows the creation of Hy24, the world’s largest investment platform focused on clean hydrogen.
ACEEF portfolio will also benefit from Opta, Ardian Infrastructure’s in house digital tool which collects and analyses data from its renewable assets. The platform uses this data to better understand production patterns, identify areas for improvement and optimize asset performance, as well as monitoring revenues at risk.
“ACEEF is a new innovative step to provide long term capital to accelerate the energy transition. The fund, managed by a highly qualified team with a track record spanning 15 years and a large network of industrial experts, offers to our clients a unique platform to operate in the renewable energy sector with an industrial approach. Ardian’s strategy to accelerate the energy transition is more relevant than ever to fight climate change and to contribute to energy independence.” Mathias Burghardt, Head of Ardian Infrastructure and Member of Ardian’s Executive Commitee
Ardian has been one of the pioneers in energy transition, having started investing in the renewable asset class since 2007. Across all Ardian Infrastructure Funds, the team already manages more than 7.6GW of heat and renewable energy capacity in Europe and the Americas.
In the coming months, Ardian’s expertise will be further strengthened by the arrival of a new Managing Director from the renewables industry, who will be dedicated to the clean energy platform.
ABOUT ARDIAN
Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$125 billion managed or advised in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global investor base. Through its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian’s activities fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world.
Holding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 850 employees working from fifteen offices across Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), the Americas (New York, San Francisco and Santiago) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul). It manages funds on behalf of more than 1,200 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Secondaries, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.
Source: ardian
