KKR to Invest ₹ 5,550 Crore in Reliance Retail Ventures

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KKR’s Second Investment With Reliance Industries Fuels Growth of India’s Fastest Growing Retail Business and Its Transformational New Commerce Model

MUMBAI, India–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

Reliance Industries Limited (“Reliance Industries”) and Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (“RRVL”) announced today that global investment firm KKR will invest ₹ 5,550 crore into RRVL, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries. This investment values Reliance Retail at a pre-money equity value of ₹ 4.21 lakh crore. KKR’s investment will translate into a 1.28% equity stake in RRVL on a fully diluted basis.

This marks the second investment by KKR in a subsidiary of Reliance Industries, following a ₹ 11,367 crore investment in Jio Platforms announced earlier this year.

Reliance Retail Limited, a subsidiary of RRVL, operates India’s largest, fastest growing and most profitable retail business serving close to 640 million footfalls across its ~12,000 stores nationwide. Reliance Retail’s vision is to galvanize the Indian retail sector through an inclusive strategy serving millions of customers by empowering millions of farmers and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and working closely with global and domestic companies as a preferred partner, to deliver immense benefits to Indian society, while protecting and generating employment for millions of Indians. Reliance Retail, through its New Commerce strategy, has started a transformational digitalization of small and unorganised merchants and is committed to expanding the network to over 20 million of these merchants. This will enable the merchants to use technology tools and an efficient supply chain infrastructure to deliver a superior value proposition to their own customers.

Founded in 1976, KKR has $222 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2020 and a long history of building leading global enterprises, including many companies at the forefront of technology and digital transformation including in areas of consumer retail and eCommerce, such as investments in Epic Games, OutSystems, Internet Brands, Go-jek and Voyager Innovations. KKR established its first of eight Asia offices in 2005 and the firm currently has approximately $5.1 billion in private equity investments across more than 15 Indian companies, including Jio Platforms, JB Chemicals, Max Healthcare, Eurokids International and Ramky Enviro Engineers.

Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, said, “I am pleased to welcome KKR as an investor in Reliance Retail Ventures as we continue our onward march to growing and transforming the Indian Retail ecosystem for the benefit of all Indians. KKR has a proven track record of being a valuable partner to industry-leading franchises and has been committed to India for many years. We look forward to working with KKR’s global platform, industry knowledge and operational expertise across our digital services and retail businesses.”

Henry Kravis, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of KKR, said, “We are pleased to deepen our relationship with Reliance Industries through this investment in Reliance Retail Ventures, which is empowering merchants of all sizes and fundamentally changing the retail experience for Indian consumers. Reliance Retail’s new commerce platform is filling an important need for both consumers and small businesses as more Indian consumers move to shopping online and the company offers tools for Kiranas to be a critical part of the value chain. We are thrilled to support Reliance Retail in its mission to become India’s leading omnichannel retailer and ultimately to build a more inclusive Indian retail economy.”

KKR is making its investment from its Asia private equity funds. The transaction is subject to regulatory and other customary approvals.

Morgan Stanley acted as financial advisor to Reliance Retail and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Davis Polk & Wardwell acted as legal counsels. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP acted as financial advisor to KKR. Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP acted as legal counsel to KKR.

About Reliance Industries Limited (RIL)

RIL is India’s largest private sector company, with a consolidated turnover of INR 659,205 crore ($87.1 billion), cash profit of INR 71,446 crore ($9.4 billion), and net profit of INR 39,880 crore ($5.3 billion) for the year ended March 31, 2020.

RIL’s activities span hydrocarbon exploration and production, petroleum refining and marketing, petrochemicals, retail and digital services. RIL is the top-most ranked company from India to feature in Fortune’s Global 500 list of ‘World’s Largest Companies’ – currently ranking 96th. The company stands 71st in the ‘Forbes Global 2000’ rankings for 2019 – top-most among Indian companies. It ranks 10th among LinkedIn’s ‘The Best Companies to Work For In India’ (2019).

About Reliance Retail Ventures Limited

Reliance Retail Ventures Limited is a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited, and holding company of all the retail companies under the RIL Group. RRVL reported a consolidated turnover of ₹ 162,936 crore ($ 21.7 billion) and net profit of ₹ 5,448 crore ($ 726.4 million) for the year ended March 31, 2020.

Reliance Retail topped the list of ‘50 fastest-growing retailers globally between FY2013-2018’ in the Deloitte’s Global Powers of Retailing 2020 index. Reliance Retail secured the 56th spot this year against the 94th rank the previous year and is the only Indian company to be featured in this list.

KKR Asia Pacific
Zita Setiawan
+65 8940-5835
Zita.Setiawan@secondee.kkr.com

David Katz
+65 6922-5872
David.Katz@kkr.com

KKR Americas
Kristi Huller, Cara Major or Miles Radcliffe-Trenner
+1 212.750.8300
Media@KKR.com

Source: KKR

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Enel X and Ardian Infrastructure launch battery storage partnership in Canada

Ardian

  • 14 September 2020 Infrastructure Rome , Italy
  • The joint venture, which currently includes ten projects for around 30 MW of capacity, is dedicated to operating and developing battery storage projects in Ontario, Canada

    • Ardian Infrastructure holds 80% of the partnership, while Enel X holds the remaining 20% and will continue to manage the operations and maintenance of all projects as well as the development of future projects

Rome, September 14, 2020 – Enel X, the Enel Group’s advanced energy services business line, and Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, have entered into a joint venture to manage Enel X’s battery storage projects in Canada and support the acceleration of the development of similar projects in the country.

“Battery storage systems represent a key element in the transition towards a decarbonized energy system as they facilitate the flexibility and stability of grids, and we are committed to empowering customers to help drive the shift towards these technologies,” said Francesco Venturini, CEO of Enel X. “This partnership with Ardian Infrastructure represents an important step that will further support the expansion of innovative energy efficiency solutions in the North American market. In partnering with Ardian we are combining our financial strength and Enel X’s industry expertise to create even more value for our customers and further accelerate our growth in the region.”

“This investment bolsters Ardian’s position as a leading player in the sustainable energy sector across the Americas,” said Stefano Mion, Senior Managing Director and co-head of Ardian Infrastructure US. “This latest partnership, our first in Canada, marks an important step forward as we diversify our sustainable energy portfolio into the rapidly growing battery storage sector. Behind-the-meter battery storage is a compelling component of the sustainable energy ecosystem as it allows users to store electricity when it is least expensive and consume it when costs from the grid are most expensive. We are excited to partner with Enel X on the opportunity to accelerate the joint venture’s growth, initially in Canada but longer term across the Americas.”

Under the agreement, a dedicated vehicle company, 80% owned by Ardian Infrastructure and 20% by Enel X, has been constituted to manage the battery storage projects in Canada currently included in the joint venture for around 30 MW of capacity. The battery storage portfolio is composed of ten asset locations throughout Ontario and includes two separate 10 MW/20 MWh projects expected to reach commercial operations in 2021. Through the partnership, Enel X will continue to construct, operate, and maintain these projects and will be responsible for the development of future projects.

The partnership with Ardian is in line with Enel X’s commitment to foster the deployment of cutting-edge energy service solutions for commercial and industrial (C&I) clients, leveraging on the company’s offering of integrated services to end customers. All of Enel X’s storage projects utilize the company’s Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Optimization software that has the unique capability to maximize the earnings potential across multiple use cases, such as demand and energy management programs. Through the financial support of Ardian, the platform will enable C&I customers to deploy state-of-the-art energy storage equipment, aimed at making power consumption and infrastructure more efficient.

The deal is part of Ardian’s ongoing commitment to invest in new technology and clean energy assets with the aim to create a more sustainable energy market and address climate change, as outlined in its most recent Augmented Infrastructure report. With 50 employees across eight offices throughout the Americas and Europe, the Ardian Infrastructure team is a world leading Infrastructure Fund Manager focused on the energy and transportation sectors.

About Enel X

Enel X in North America manages over 10.5 billion US dollars in customers’ annual energy spend for approximately 4,500 business customers, spanning more than 35,000 sites. The company has approximately 4.7 GW of demand response capacity and over 70 behind-the-meter storage projects in operation or under contract. Enel X’s intelligent DER Optimization Software is designed to analyze real-time energy and utility bill data, improve performance, and manage distributed energy assets across a number of different value streams and applications.
Enel X is Enel’s global business line dedicated to the development of innovative products and digital solutions in sectors where energy is showing the greatest potential for transformation: cities, homes, industries and electric mobility. The company is a global leader in the advanced energy services field with a demand management capacity of more than 6 GW globally managed and assigned and 110 MW of storage capacity worldwide, as well as a leading operator in the electric mobility sector, with 80,000 public and private EV charging points around the globe.

Visit the website

About Ardian

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of 100 billion US dollars 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 690 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 around 1,000 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.

PRESS CONTACT

Enel X – Media relations

ufficiostampa@enel.com

+39 06 8305 5699

Ardian – The Neibart Group

Emma Murphy

emurphy@neibartgroup.com

+1 347 968 6800

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Aibel awarded major Equinor contract in Hammerfest, Norway

Ratos

Aibel has been awarded a contract to increase capacity for gas extraction and in a next step work to reduce CO2 emissions from the Snøhvit field, a natural gas field on the Norwegian continental shelf outside Hammerfest. Equinor has awarded the contract to Aibel through the parties in Snøhvit Unit *.

The contract is a so-called FEED contract (Front-end engineering), for modification of the Hammerfest LNG plant. The value of the contract is estimated at NOK 140 million. In addition, the contract includes an option for each of the sub-projects for an execution phase including engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) for compression and electrification. The value of the options is of major size**.

Aibel’s task in the FEED phase consists of two parts: The first sub-project involves the construction of an onshore compression station at the Hammerfest LNG plant. The second sub-project is related to investigating electrification of the Hammerfest LNG plant to minimize the Snøhvit carbon footprint.

“We are excited to become part of further development of the future LNG plant at Melkøya outside Hammerfest, where we already have a long and good track record from our modification and maintenance contract,” says Aibel’s President and CEO Mads Andersen.

“We are very pleased that Equinor has chosen us as a partner for important projects on the Norwegian Continental Shelf for the third time in a short period of time,” the CEO continues, referring to this summer’s award of the electrification of Gina Krog and Sleipner as well as the portfolio agreement for Oseberg.

“We are proud that Aibel is once again gaining confidence from Equinor to contribute to the transition to a cleaner and more sustainable business on the Norwegian Continental Shelf,” says Christian Johansson Gebauer, Head of Business Area Construction & Services at Ratos.

The project will be managed from Aibel’s office in Asker, and around 80 employees will participate in the FEED phase. Start-up takes place immediately, with the scheduled delivery of the FEED in April 2021.

*The Snøhvit Unit partners are: Equinor Energy AS (operator), Petoro AS, Total E&P Norge AS, Neptune Energy Norge AS and Wintershall Dea Norge AS.

**Aibel uses the term “major size” on contracts where the value of Aibel’s scope is higher than NOK 2.5 billion.

LNG stands for Liquefied Natural Gas.

 

For further information, please contact:
Christian Johansson Gebauer, Head of Business Area Construction & Services, Ratos, +46 8 700 17 00
Helene Gustafsson, Head of IR and Press, Ratos, +46 8 700 17 98, helene.gustafsson@ratos.se

About Ratos:
Ratos is a business group consisting of 12 companies divided into three business areas: Construction & Services, Consumer & Technology and Industry. In total, the companies have SEK 38 billion in sales and EBITA of SEK 1.8 billion. Our business concept is to develop mid-sized companies headquartered in the Nordics that are or can become market leaders. We enable independent mid-sized companies to excel by being part of something larger. People, leadership, culture and values are key focus areas for Ratos. Everything we do is based on Ratos’s core values: Simplicity, Speed in Execution and It’s All About People.

 

 


 

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Ratos – Aibel awarded major Equinor contract in Hammerfest, Norway

Ratos

Aibel has been awarded a contract to increase capacity for gas extraction and in a next step work to reduce CO2 emissions from the Snøhvit field, a natural gas field on the Norwegian continental shelf outside Hammerfest. Equinor has awarded the contract to Aibel through the parties in Snøhvit Unit *.

The contract is a so-called FEED contract (Front-end engineering), for modification of the Hammerfest LNG plant. The value of the contract is estimated at NOK 140 million. In addition, the contract includes an option for each of the sub-projects for an execution phase including engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) for compression and electrification. The value of the options is of major size**.

Aibel’s task in the FEED phase consists of two parts: The first sub-project involves the construction of an onshore compression station at the Hammerfest LNG plant. The second sub-project is related to investigating electrification of the Hammerfest LNG plant to minimize the Snøhvit carbon footprint.

“We are excited to become part of further development of the future LNG plant at Melkøya outside Hammerfest, where we already have a long and good track record from our modification and maintenance contract,” says Aibel’s President and CEO Mads Andersen.

“We are very pleased that Equinor has chosen us as a partner for important projects on the Norwegian Continental Shelf for the third time in a short period of time,” the CEO continues, referring to this summer’s award of the electrification of Gina Krog and Sleipner as well as the portfolio agreement for Oseberg.

“We are proud that Aibel is once again gaining confidence from Equinor to contribute to the transition to a cleaner and more sustainable business on the Norwegian Continental Shelf,” says Christian Johansson Gebauer, Head of Business Area Construction & Services at Ratos.

The project will be managed from Aibel’s office in Asker, and around 80 employees will participate in the FEED phase. Start-up takes place immediately, with the scheduled delivery of the FEED in April 2021.

*The Snøhvit Unit partners are: Equinor Energy AS (operator), Petoro AS, Total E&P Norge AS, Neptune Energy Norge AS and Wintershall Dea Norge AS.

**Aibel uses the term “major size” on contracts where the value of Aibel’s scope is higher than NOK 2.5 billion.

LNG stands for Liquefied Natural Gas.

For further information, please contact:
Christian Johansson Gebauer, Head of Business Area Construction & Services, Ratos, +46 8 700 17 00
Helene Gustafsson, Head of IR and Press, Ratos, +46 8 700 17 98, helene.gustafsson@ratos.se

About Ratos:
Ratos is a business group consisting of 12 companies divided into three business areas: Construction & Services, Consumer & Technology and Industry. In total, the companies have SEK 38 billion in sales and EBITA of SEK 1.8 billion. Our business concept is to develop mid-sized companies headquartered in the Nordics that are or can become market leaders. We enable independent mid-sized companies to excel by being part of something larger. People, leadership, culture and values are key focus areas for Ratos. Everything we do is based on Ratos’s core values: Simplicity, Speed in Execution and It’s All About People.

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DIF Capital Partners invests in 900 MW Canadian power project

DIF

DIF Capital Partners, through DIF Infrastructure VI (“DIF”), is pleased to announce its investment in the 900-megawatt Cascade Power Project (“Cascade” or the “Project”) in Canada. Together with joint equity sponsors OPTrust and Axium Infrastructure, DIF will invest in the construction of Cascade. The equity sponsors and its development sponsors Kineticor and Macquarie Capital, successfully closed financing of the CAD 1.5 billion Project today, including securing non-recourse project financing.

Cascade is a 900-megawatt combined cycle natural gas-fired generating facility to be located near Edson, Alberta. Siemens Energy will provide two highly efficient single shaft SCC6-8000H power trains and provide maintenance support under a long-term service agreement. Cascade is strategically situated in proximity to significant gas production as well as the NGTL System and high voltage electrical transmission lines, an important competitive advantage for Cascade. Construction will start immediately with commercial operations commencing in 2023. Cascade is contracted and benefits from long-term gas netback agreements which provide cashflow stability and downside protection once the project is commissioned.

Cascade will lead the transition to a lower carbon intensive power grid in Alberta by supporting the province’s transition off coal-fired power, generating low emissions electricity that is expected to supply over 8 percent of the province’s average demand. With Alberta contributing over 50 percent of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation, Cascade is expected to result in one of the largest emissions reduction opportunities in the country’s electricity sector.

BPC, a joint venture between affiliates of PCL Construction and Overland Contracting Canada, Inc., a Black & Veatch Company, will construct the facility under an Engineering, Procurement and Construction Services contract with Kineticor acting as construction and asset manager. Cascade will additionally benefit the local community with over 3 million work hours of labour required for construction, creating approximately 600 jobs during peak construction as well as 25 long-term jobs during operation.

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent infrastructure fund manager, with €7.6 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 in public-private partnerships (PPP/PFI/P3), concessions, utilities and renewable energy projects with long-term contracted or regulated income streams.
  • DIF CIF funds target equity investments in small to mid-sized economic infrastructure assets in the telecom, energy and transportation sectors.

DIF has a team of over 145 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.

 

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Ardian infrastructure signs 20-year financing for Åndberg wind farm

Ardian

Financing secured with KfW IPEX-Bank based on quality and long-term resilience of Åndberg project
• Highlights Ardian’s commitment to supporting the transition towards sustainable energy despite prevailing market conditions

Stockholm, 9th July 2020 – Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, has signed a 20-year financing for its 286 MW “Åndberg” wind farm in Sweden. The financing is provided by KfW IPEX-Bank, which is the part of KfW Group responsible for project and export finance.

The long-term financing was secured on the back of a 10-year green power purchase agreement (PPA) with Skellefteå Kraft, one of Sweden’s largest energy producers, agreed in October 2019. The financing allows Ardian and eNordic to further optimize and secure more revenue streams for the wind farm.

Ardian Infrastructure acquired the Åndberg wind farm from OX2 in February 2019 as part of its Nordic sustainable energy investment platform, eNordic. The windfarm is relying on the latest technology, having upgraded its Nordex turbines to the 5MW class earlier this year. Following its completion in 2021, Åndberg will each year provide clean electricity in excess of 800 GWh, making it one of the largest wind farms in Sweden.

The Åndberg wind farm is one of four current wind power investments managed by Ardian’s new sustainable energy investment platform, eNordic. Earlier this year, Ardian made its first investment in Finland, being the acquisition of the Lakiakangas 1 wind farm from German-based wind power company, CPC Finland Oy.

Thomas Linnard, Managing Director, eNordic, says: “This agreement is the latest step in our strategy to build a leading independent sustainable energy group in the Nordic region. The long-term financing was secured at very attractive terms despite current market conditions and high level of complexity involved, highlighting the strength of the project and our approach.”

Simo Santavirta, Head of asset management, Ardian Infrastructure, says: “This project is a great example of our asset management capabilities and ability to improve our investments’ performance including financing, hedging, build-ups and technical optimization.”

Amir Sharifi, Managing Director, Ardian Infrastructure, adds: “This operation highlights our continued commitment to sustainability and relentless activity as we continue to look for investment opportunities to support the sustainable energy transition in the Nordic region.”

Markus Scheer, Member of the Management Board of KfW IPEX-Bank, says: ”KfW IPEX-Bank is firmly committed to finance innovative energy and environmental projects, and we’re pleased to support Ardian and eNordic’s Åndberg wind farm as they continue to support the sustainable energy transition in the Nordics. It has been a real pleasure to work with their highly competent teams and we look forward to a long-term partnership.”

 

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$100bn 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 680 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 around 1,000 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.

ABOUT eNORDIC

eNordic is the Nordic’s first sustainable energy platform, formed by a partnership between Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, and leading domestic industry executives.
Through a local, responsible and agile investment approach, eNordic enables the transformation of the energy sector through long-term partnerships with those that develop or operate sustainable energy projects in the Nordics.
It invests in opportunities in wind, biomass, hydro and district heating, in addition to traditional energy assets that have the potential to be transformed or managed in a particularly sustainable way.
eNordic is based in Sweden and Finland, with local teams operating throughout the Nordics region.

ABOUT KfW IPEX-Bank

Within KfW Group, KfW IPEX-Bank is responsible for project and export finance. It supports German and European companies operating in key industrial sectors in global markets by structuring medium and long-term financing for their exports, funding infrastructure investments, securing a raw materials supply and by financing environmental and climate protection projects worldwide. As a specialist bank, KfW IPEX-Bank has extensive industry, structuring and country expertise, it takes on leading roles in financing consortia and actively involves other banks, institutional investors and insurance firms. KfW IPEX-Bank operates as a legally independent group subsidiary and is represented in the most important economic and financial centres across the globe.

LIST OF ADVISORS

  • Financial

    • Newsec
  • Legal

    • Vinge/MSA

Press contact

Ardian/eNordic – Headland Consultancy

VIKTOR TSVETANOV

+44 20 3805 4827

KfW IPEX-Bank

PHILIPP KIELBASSA

+49 69 7431 6431

Press contact

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bp invests $5 million in geospatial analytics company Satelytics

BP Ventures

  • Firm uses machine learning and spectral imagery to monitor environment.
  • Technology combines data from satellites, drones and planes.
  • Part of bp’s strategy to deploy a suite of complementary methane detecting techniques across new and existing facilities.

bp ventures invests in Satelytics

bp ventures has invested $5 million in Satelytics, a cloud-based geospatial analytics software company that uses advanced spectral imagery and machine learning to monitor environmental changes, including methane emissions.

 

Satelytics collects high resolution spectral imagery from the planet’s surface using satellites, drones, and planes. Its technology combines these images with proprietary algorithms to create unique electromagnetic signatures that can be used to detect environmental changes, including releases or leaks. Its software visualises these data sets on interactive displays that give end-users a clear and actionable picture of operations, and alert them to facility risks, like methane leaks.

 

bp’s $5 million investment will enable Satelytics to develop its technology further and scale its applications throughout the oil and gas sector. Use of the technology has the potential to be part of bp’s aim to install methane measurement at all major oil and gas processing sites by 2023, publish the data and then drive a 50% reduction in methane intensity of its operations.

 

Morag Watson, bp senior vice president of digital science and engineering, said: “Satelytics is modernising the energy sector by making data about physical assets more accessible and digestible, leading to better decision making. We are excited to work closely alongside their unique team of scientists and technologists to help them evolve their technology and to continue to move the needle on industry digitalisation.”

 

Sean Donegan, chief executive of Satelytics, said: “bp’s early use of our detection and quantification software has inspired us to expand our capabilities. bp’s investment marks an inflexion point for Satelytics, which will assist us in expanding our technological capabilities and fuel future innovation.”

 

Through its venturing business, bp is making strategic investments in innovative, game-changing technologies and businesses that can help it reimagine the global energy system.

 

David Hayes, bp ventures managing director for the Americas and chief operating officer, said: “Earlier this year we announced our ambition to become a net zero company by 2050 or sooner, and to help the world get to net zero. As part of our ambition, one of our 10 aims relates to methane measurement at all of our major oil and gas processing sites by 2023 and reducing methane intensity of our operations by 50%. Advanced technologies such as Satelytics, integrating multiple approaches to efficiently detect emissions, have the potential to be a valuable tool that can support this work.”

Notes to editors

About Satelytics:

 

  • Satelytics Inc., is a cloud-based geospatial analytics software suite.
  • Multi or hyper-spectral imagery is gathered from satellites, UAV, planes, and fixed cameras, and processed to provide both alerts and qualitative results for our customers.
  • Data can be gathered on up to a daily basis and results sent to customers in hours.
  • This includes the specific problem, location, magnitude, and even qualitative information, which minimize cost, impact, and operational disruption for clients.

About bp ventures:

 

  • bp ventures was set up more than 10 years ago to identify and invest in private, high growth, game-changing technology companies, accelerating innovation across the entire energy spectrum. Since then, bp has invested almost $700 million in technology companies across more than 31 active investments with more than 250 co-investors.
  • Venturing plays a key role in bp’s strategy to tackle the dual challenge of meeting the world’s need for more energy, while at the same time reducing carbon emissions.
  • bp ventures focuses on connecting and growing new energy business. It makes strategic equity investments across a portfolio of relevant technology businesses including advanced mobility, low carbon and digital.
  • For more information visit: bp.com/ventures.
  • Shaun Healey, bp ventures Principal, will take up a director seat on the board of Satelytics.

Further information

Contacts

bp press office, London: +44 (0)20 7496 4076, bppress@bp.com

Kekst CNC, London: +44 (0)20 3755 1630, bpventures@kekstcnc.com

Capricorn Digital Growth Fund announces first investment in Dutch AI company Gradyent while also adding new investors bringing the total fund size over € 50 million

Capricorn

Leuven, Belgium: 16 June 2020 – Capricorn Partners announced today the intermediary closing of its Capricorn Digital Growth Fund bringing commitments to over € 50 million. At the same time the fund closed its first investment together with Helen Ventures and ENERGIIQ, jointly committing € 1.9 million to Gradyent, a Dutch energy analytics solution company. Gradyent has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) cloud-based platform that supports the management and optimisation of district heating networks, making them more sustainable and cost-effective. The investment allows Gradyent to further develop its innovative software and to commercialise its services.

Katrin Geyskens, Partner at Capricorn said: “Serendipity allows us to welcome Noaber Ventures, the impact investment arm of the Dutch Noaber Foundation and a number of private investors to join our Capricorn Digital Growth Fund, at the same time as we are announcing the first investment of this fund. Gradyent is a perfect illustration of our investment strategy focusing on data driven companies. The drive towards accelerated digitalization and the smart use of data has been clearly underpinned during the current pandemic. Hence we are convinced that our Capricorn Digital Growth Fund will see AI based interesting and rewarding investment opportunities both in digital health and industrial applications.”

Strong investment consortium for Gradyent

The investment in Gradyent of almost € 2 million comes from a European consortium of investors including the Capricorn Digital Growth Fund, Helen Ventures (Finland) and ENERGIIQ (Netherlands). Together with existing investor henQ, the syndicate will support Gradyent with expertise and access to their international networks throughout Europe.

Gradyent was founded early 2019 by a team of seasoned entrepreneurs with years of national and international experience in energy, tech and artificial intelligence (AI). This combined with the expected positive environmental impact and significant market potential of their AI-powered solution for heating networks, makes Gradyent a very attractive investment target.

Maarten Lambert, investment associate at Capricorn Partners, says: “Gradyent is a perfect example of how AI technology can transform raw data into actionable insights. We are proud to be part of a company that has the ambition to support businesses on their journey to become more energy efficient and make our planet a better place to live.”

Optimising the management and efficiency of district heating networks

Many district heating networks run on legacy control systems with often outdated software solutions that provide limited insight into the network’s efficiency – or lack of it. This gets in the way of innovation and constrains optimisation.

Gradyent’s solution helps district heating companies participate in the sustainability transition by improving the management and efficiency of district heating networks without compromising stability and reliability. Gradyent uses digital twin technology (a replica of real-world objects) built by a unique combination of hydro- and thermodynamic modelling combined with AI. Its AI cloud platform not only provides insight into heating networks but also determines how to optimise them and improve overall efficiency. The solution leads to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions and users immediately see a positive financial impact as the solution provides a rapid return on investment. Gradyent is showing promising results with its first customers.

As Mikko Huumo, director of Helen Ventures, explains, “In the coming years, energy companies, including Helen, will transform district heating networks into sustainable CO2-neutral heating systems. In practice, large fossil fuel-fired power plants will be replaced with smaller decentralised heat sources and this will increase complexity in the network. Digital tools, like Gradyent’s AI platform, will be needed to provide heat efficiently and reliably to customers every single day.”

Continuing the journey

Gradyent will use the funding to commercialise its services and expand its efforts particularly in AI and software development.

Hervé Huisman of Gradyent: “More than half of the world’s energy demand is in the form of heating, and our team believes there is a huge potential for improving sustainability by smart optimisation and AI. Our first projects with district heating customers in the Netherlands confirm the potential of our solution, and we are excited about extending the offering to our growing Dutch and international customer base in the coming period. We are extremely proud that we can now continue our journey with Capricorn, Helen Ventures and ENERGIIQ on board. These parties can all add relevant insights and provide access to energy, digital growth and district heating networks. Together with our current investor henQ, we have the perfect foundation for our next chapter!”

Rafael Koene, fund manager at ENERGIIQ: “The ENERGIIQ investment team is impressed with Gradyent and the investment consortium that was formed. We are convinced – also because of the strong management team – that Gradyent will experience strong growth in the coming years and that many heating networks will start using Gradyent’s AI platform. The growth will lead to significant CO2 reduction.”

More infor on Gradyent‘s website.

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KKR to Acquire 317MWp of Solar Energy Assets from Shapoorji Pallonji Infra

KKR

Investment in five assets to accelerate the provision of renewable energy solutions to Indian communities

MUMBAI, ‎India–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Apr. 27, 2020– Global investment firm KKR and leading infrastructure developer Shapoorji Pallonji Infrastructure Capital (“SP Infra”) today announced the signing of definitive agreements under which KKR will acquire five solar energy assets from SP Infra for total consideration of INR15.54 billion (approximately US$204 million). The portfolio comprises of assets with a capacity of 169MWp in Maharashtra and assets with a capacity of 148 MWp in Tamil Nadu.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200426005079/en/

With a legacy of 154 years, the Shapoorji Pallonji Group is based in Mumbai and operates in over 70 countries with a global turnover of over US$5 billion. SP Infra is the infrastructure development arm with assets and businesses in the renewable and gas-based power, highways, port and terminals in India and overseas.

David Luboff, Head of Asia Pacific Infrastructure at KKR, said, “We are truly pleased to extend our Infrastructure franchise in Asia and India through this investment in a world-class portfolio of fully operational solar energy projects. Given the growing demand across Asia Pacific for sustainable energy solutions, we also see this as a great example of how KKR can bring capital and expertise to assets to help meet the demand for infrastructure development. Looking ahead, we are excited to explore even more renewable energy opportunities in India and overseas.”

Sanjay Nayar, CEO of KKR India, added, “SP Infra and the Shapoorji Pallonji Group are recognized in India and worldwide for the high quality of their renewable energy projects, and given the government’s ambitious target of achieving 175GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022, we believe this is an attractive time to invest in this portfolio and provide even greater solar energy solutions to communities across India.”

Mukundan Srinivasan, Managing Director of SP Infra, said, “This deal further demonstrates SP Infra’s continued track record of developing high-quality infrastructure assets in its chosen spaces, creating value for further growth in its businesses, and be the partner of choice for high-quality international investors like KKR.”

KKR takes a flexible approach to Infrastructure investment in Asia Pacific. The Firm has evolved a traditional sector-based approach to Infrastructure – spanning assets such as transportation, energy, telecom, water and waste, among other segments – to further consider elements such as physical assets, proximity to the local economy, irreplaceability, sensitivities to economic cycles and governance, among other categories. KKR pairs the capabilities of its local teams in Asia Pacific with the Firm’s global industry and operational expertise to add value.

India is a key part of KKR’s Asia Infrastructure strategy, and this announced transaction is the Firm’s second investment in the country as part of its dedicated Infrastructure strategy.

Further details of the investment have not been disclosed. The transactions is subject to customary approvals. KKR makes its investment through its infrastructure fund.

EY acted as KKR’s M&A advisor and AZB & Partners and Simpson Thacher acted as KKR’s legal advisors. Edelweiss, Khaitan & Co. and PwC acted as SP Infra’s respective M&A, legal and tax advisors.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

About Shapoorji Pallonji Infrastructure Capital Company Pvt. Ltd

Shapoorji Pallonji Infrastructure Capital Company Pvt. Ltd (SP Infra) is a leading infrastructure development company, primarily focused in the power, roads and port sectors. Headquartered in Mumbai, SP Infra is a group company of Shapoorji Pallonji And Company Pvt Ltd.

About Shapoorji Pallonji And Company Pvt Ltd

Shapoorji Pallonji And Company Pvt Ltd, established in 1865 in India, is a global diversified institution, with a leading presence in the sectors of Engineering & Construction, Infrastructure, Real Estate, Water, Energy and Financial Services. With a strong employee base of over 70,000 people, we deliver end-to-end solutions across 70 nations. We build mega-structures, develop multifaceted iconic landmarks, drive innovative technologies in water management, renewable energy, oil & gas and power, with a focus on good governance and sustainable development, to engineer a better planet. To know more, please visit: www.shapoorjipallonji.com

Media:

For KKR
Anita Davis
Anita.davis@kkr.com
+852 3602 7335

AdFactors (for KKR India)
Deeptha Rajkumar
deeptha.rajkumar@adfactorspr.com
+91 9819803395

For SP Infra
Savita Pisal
savita.pisal@shapoorji.com
+91 9619698277

For Shapoorji Pallonji Group
Zarin Amrolia
zarin.amrolia@shapoorji.com
+91 7506237011

ConceptPR
Sneha Gadge
sneha.g@conceptpr.com
+91 9619531960

Source: KKR

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CapMan Infra invests in Nydalen Energi, the provider of environmentally friendly district heating and cooling in the fast growing Nydalen area in Oslo, Norway

CapMan Infra press release
5 February 2020 at 09.15 a.m. CET

CapMan Infra invests in Nydalen Energi, the provider of environmentally friendly district heating and cooling in the fast growing Nydalen area in Oslo, Norway  

CapMan Infra has entered into an agreement to acquire 100 per cent of the shares in Nydalen Energi AS (“Nydalen Energi”) from Avantor AS (“Avantor”). The company is the concession holder for district heating in the growing Nydalen area and has a highly attractive green production footprint for heating and cooling. The acquisition marks the CapMan Nordic Infrastructure I fund’s first core energy investment.

District energy is a fast-growing industry in Norway, backed by the ambitious climate targets set by the Norwegian government. Nydalen Energi and Avantor have been frontrunners in developing sustainable heating and cooling solutions within the capital city of Oslo. The concession area of the company is located in Nydalen, where during the last 25 years, Avantor has developed more than 600,000 m2 of property, transforming it into an attractive place to live, work and study in. Today Nydalen is a growing district with ~25,000 workplaces, ~10,000 students and ~3,500 residents. Nydalen Energi is the sole provider of district heating and cooling in the area, and has a green production footprint with ~90% of heating and 100% of cooling volumes produced with renewable energy sources, such as thermal energy, biofuels and hydropower.

“Norway has strong and attractive regulation in place to promote the use of district heating. We share this vision and believe that environmentally friendly district heating and cooling can play an important role in reducing the CO2 footprint of properties and thereby promoting greener societies. We find that the growing demand for district energy in Norway is underpinned by strong support from both landlords, tenants, as well as authorities, and find Nydalen Energi to be an attractive platform for entering the Norwegian market. We believe the company’s existing and future customers will benefit from CapMan Infra’s commitment to further develop the cost efficient and reliable heating and cooling infrastructure in the area,” says Ville Poukka, Managing Partner at CapMan Infra.

“In parallel with our real estate development in Nydalen, Avantor has for nearly 20 years developed Nydalen Energi to be a supplier of sustainable district heating and cooling in the area. We are proud of what we have achieved with Nydalen Energi and look forward to remain as a customer of the company and continue our focus on property development in the area,” says Øystein Thorup, CEO of Avantor AS.

CapMan Infra’s investment focus is core and core+ infrastructure assets in the energy, transportation and telecom sectors in the Nordics.

SEB Corporate Finance acted as the financial advisor and Simonsen Vogt Wiig as the legal advisor to CapMan Infra in the transaction. EY Corporate Finance acted as the financial advisor and Thommessen as the legal advisor to Avantor in the transaction.

The transaction is expected to close by end of February 2020 and is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

For further information, please contact:

Pekko Haaksluoto, Senior Investment Manager, CapMan Infra, tel: +358 40 584 6031

Øystein Thorup, CEO, Avantor AS, tel: +47 958 43 834

About CapMan
CapMan is a leading Nordic private asset expert with an active approach to value creation. We offer a wide selection of investment products and services. As one of the Nordic private equity pioneers, we have developed hundreds of companies and real estate assets and created substantial value in these businesses and assets over the past 30 years. With over €3 billion in assets under management, our objective is to provide attractive returns and innovative solutions to investors. We have a broad presence in the unlisted market through our local and specialised teams. Our investment strategies cover Private Equity, Real Estate and Infra. We also have a growing service business that includes procurement services, fundraising advisory, and analysis, reporting and wealth management services. Altogether, CapMan employs 140 people in Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, London and Luxembourg. www.capman.com

About Avantor

Avantor is a leading property developer who currently owns approximately 250,000m2 commercial property, mostly located in the Nydalen region in Oslo, but also in Kristiansand and Tønsberg. Since the early 1990s, Avantor has had an integral role in transforming Nydalen from being an industrial cluster to a highly attractive area for businesses, households and students, and has over the period developed more than 600,000m2 in the district. Avantor’s focus on sustainability has been an important part of the development of Nydalen, and with this in mind, Nydalen Energi was established in 2002 in order to provide the growing district with green heating and cooling. Avantor’s main office is located in Nydalen, where approximately 40 people are employed. www.avantor.no

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