The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, an arm of the World Bank, provided a record $2.1bn of new investment guarantees for projects in developing countries in the fiscal year to the end of June 2011 – a 43% increase on the previous year.
The Swiss fund manager, which has just acquired three solar photovoltaic power plants in Italy, has revealed that it is seeking a €100m final close for its debut renewable energy infrastructure fund by the end of this year. The fund had raised €30m at first close in April.
The government will pitch to Canadian pension funds, Gulf sovereign wealth funds and investors across Latin America and China to help fund the modernisation of the UK’s infrastructure. At home, the government also plans to be ‘much more proactive with institutional investors’.
In a key address, President Obama simplified infrastructure as a jobs issue and failed to adequately broach the issue of attracting private capital.
The seven consortia lined up to bid for the two airport privatisations – including the likes of Ferrovial, Allianz, AXA, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Industry Funds Management, Global Infrastructure Partners and Abertis – have until October 31 to submit their bids.
Albion Ventures, which manages £235m of venture capital trusts, has completed its first investment in the wind sector and is seeking to increase its portfolio exposure to renewable energy from 5% to 15%.
French public-private partnerships accounted for 57% of the €9.7bn in projects that reached financial close during the first half of the year. A number of large transactions helped keep first half figures in line with the first half of 2010, but the number of deals closed dropped from 58 to 47.
Japanese trading company Marubeni Corporation is to acquire a 49.9% stake in Gunfleet Sands wind farm off England’s Essex coastline for £200m from Denmark’s DONG Energy. Earlier this year, DONG sold the wind farm’s transmission line to a consortium of investors.
The UK’s second-largest pension fund has hired Gavin Merchant, formerly a director at public-private partnership investor Equitix, to become a senior investment manager focusing on direct infrastructure investments.
The unlisted Benelux-focussed infrastructure fund has partnered with Ballast Nedam to form the Benelux Secondary PPP Fund I, which was seeded with three assets worth about €700m. DG Infra Yield has raised €116m and is targeting a final close of between €150m and €200m.
Commerz Real said it had been left 'surprised' after the German regulator said it was planning to limit returns on investments in the electricity sector by 100bps. The announcement comes just a day after Commerz led a team of institutional investors to buy a majority stake in Amprion, Germany’s fourth-largest grid.
The Swiss private markets manager has invested in Sorgenia France, a French wind energy joint venture established by US alternative assets firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Italian energy company Sorgenia in June.
A World Bank push will provide more capital for Asian infrastructure – good news. Double good news will come when structural issues are addressed
Philippe Taillardat will join Danny Latham in co-heading First State’s European infrastructure unit. He will be based in Paris, in the firm’s first office in continental Europe. First State has raised almost €600m for its European infrastructure fund.
A World Bank push will provide more capital for Asian infrastructure – good news. Double good news will come when structural issues are addressed.