The Australian-headquartered fund manager has collected more than €305m in moving from the second to third close of its European Diversified Infrastructure Fund. The fund is aiming to raise €1.5bn in total.
The law firm has launched a ‘fully integrated offering’ for private equity investors, infrastructure investors, sovereign wealth funds and so-called ‘alternative capital providers’, acknowledging that the investment strategies of many large, global financial investors have converged.
Global Infrastructure Partners, the US-based fund manager, is acquiring a 44.9% stake in Fluxys Switzerland from Fluxys G, the Belgian natural gas transmission firm. Fluxys G is 20%-owned by Canadian pension La Caisse.
The Brazilian investment bank, poised to become the largest in Latin America, is seeking to attract investors for a new 10-year, closed-end listed infrastructure vehicle. The fund is open for subscription until July.
The French infrastructure fund manager is planning two distinct vehicles – a €100m to €200m fund focusing on small, regional French PPPs and a mid-cap follow up to their nearly invested, €200m debut European infrastructure fund.
The €330m Impax New Energy Investors II fund has agreed to buy a 9MW portfolio of operating solar PV plants from Scatec Solar. The deal builds on the fund’s existing investments in wind power in France, Germany and Poland.
Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets has signed a memorandum of understanding with Taiwan’s Council for Economic Development to help fund the government’s eight-year, $133bn infrastructure plans.
With an information memorandum being distributed to interested parties on Jan 17, a host of firms including infrastructure funds have been named in press reports as having an interest in the UK’s sixth-busiest airport by passenger numbers
Effective from January 1 2012, Christopher Elliott (pictured) is working three days a week as chairman of the investment committees at Barclays Infrastructure Funds – having previously been full-time head of infrastructure investing. MDs Nigel Middleton and Andy Matthews have expanded their roles.
The first phase of the Y-shaped network – a 140-mile link between London and Birmingham – has been given the go-ahead and should be ready by 2026. The government is said to be planning a lease of the line post-construction.
Vnesheconombank said it can provide up to 40% of the debt required for St. Petersburg’s Western High-Speed Diameter toll road. VTB Capital, Gazprombank, the Eurasian Development Bank and the EBRD are also on board to fund the deal, set to close during the first quarter.
Having completed its first deal in December, the EU-focused greenfield equity fund has now announced its second deal – an investment in Europe’s largest solar PV project. Once again, EDF Energies Nouvelles is the seller.
Global infrastructure funds closed on $20.8bn of new capital in 2011, the largest amount raised since 2008. The year ended strongly, with almost $9bn raised in the final quarter – including the $3bn first close of GIP’s second fund.
French insurer Groupama has put its entire private equity arm up for sale. Quartilium, which is the largest part of the business, committed to three infrastructure funds last year.
Fund II has already locked down an extra £15m in commitments, securing its original £250m hard-cap. But LPs have allowed Equitix to try and raise up to £350m during the first quarter of 2012. Close to 60% of the funds raised have already been committed to UK PFI projects.