Learn from the leadership of some of the world’s largest infrastructure companies with over $400bn+ of combined enterprise value: Southern Company, WEC Energy, Canadian National (CN), Transurban and American Tower.  Investors are also invited to request 1x1 meetings with a wide range of infrastructure companies during the week of March 8.

New generation of reporters to take SparkSpread to the next level Leading Power, Energy & Renewables finance and M&A intelligence service SparkSpread this month begins an exciting stage of its development with a new team and enhanced platform. Founded in 2005, by veteran power, energy and renewables journalists Will Ainger and Victor Kremer, SparkSpread

I Squared Capital agreed to acquire Canadian listed independent power producer (IPP) Atlantic Power Corporation, according to a 14 January press release. The total enterprise value of the deal is USD 961m. Read More

Argo Infrastructure Partners has agreed to acquire Corning Natural Gas, a provider of electric and natural gas services, in a deal valued at USD 150m.  In the transaction, Argo will acquire all the shares outstanding of Corning common stock for USD 24.75 per share, according to a press release.  Read More

Schroders has hired Chantale Pelletier to lead its infrastructure equity and debt investment arm after the departure of its former head Charles Dupont.  Pelletier will become Schroders’ global head of infrastructure and hold the position of president of Schroder AIDA, which is responsible for Schroders’ European infrastructure debt and equity investments,

Alberta Investment Management Corporation’s (AIMCo) infrastructure arm is hiring former GIC Infrastructure vice president Alex Leonard to its London office, as the Canadian investment manager seeks to rebuild its European team following previous departures. Leonard is due to join AIMCo’s London office with the title of portfolio manager, a spokesperson

Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners has halted talks to sell its stake in Italy’s largest independent gas storage operator to Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA). The discussions ended after MIRA lowered its valuation of Ital Gas Storage, which was initially in the EUR 1.2bn range, said two sources familiar with the situation.  Read

Deloitte has recruited a UK Department for Transport (DfT) senior commercial manager, Oliver Bradley, to its infrastructure arm. Bradley began working for Deloitte earlier this month as a manager in its government and infrastructure division, according to his LinkedIn profile.   Read More

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board and other investors have closed the USD 1.25bn investment in Singapore's Equis Development that they announced in November, an Ontario Teachers spokesperson said. Equis was offering investors an 80% share in the fund with its staff committing at least USD 50m, according to a Inframation report from

Independent power producer Broad Reach Power has partnered with two suppliers for the installation of two 110 MWh stand-alone battery storage projects in Texas’ Hill Country, according to two sources familiar with the matter. FlexGen, an energy storage technology company, has teamed up with Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), a battery manufacturer,

Mark Chung has left his role as head of power and energy investment banking at Bank of America in Hong Kong to join client Vitol in an investments role, according to his LinkedIn profile. Chung is working from Vitol's London office. Read More

Global Infrastructure Partners IV reached an agreement to acquire Signature Aviation plc at USD 5.50 per share (GBP 4.05), or USD 4.626bn, according to a 11 January regulatory filing.  The disclosure was made in advance of a 14 January deadline.  Read More

An affiliate of Brookfield Renewable Partners LP has agreed to buy 100% of a portfolio comprising 845 MW of wind capacity in Oregon from Caithness Energy. The seller, New York-based Caithness Energy, retained Greentech Capital Advisors in 2019 to run a sale process for the wind farm, and entered exclusive talks with a potential buyer in March 2020, with

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) will look to augment its track record for its first Asia-Pacific infrastructure investment fund - which today announced a USD 3.9bn final close - before working on a second edition. "Our ambitions do extend beyond the current fund, but we will first focus on providing the best returns to our present investors," David Luboff,

Arup transaction director Rish Chandarana has left the consultancy after more than 10 years, one of a number of recent departures from its infrastructure advisory team.  Chandarana left Arup early this month to start a new role at another company, sources close to the process said, without disclosing details of the new employer.   Read More

Sempra Energy has set a mid-February deadline for committed bids for a minority stake in its newly formed Sempra Infrastructure Partners, said three sources familiar with the situation. KKR, MIRA and Global Infrastructure Partners are among the parties evaluating the assets, the sources added. Read More

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has joined forces with Blackstone Infrastructure Partners to make a GBP 3.8bn (USD 5.2bn) bid for global private jet services company Signature Aviation, as Carlyle joined the bidding war. Blackstone on Friday (8 January) said that Brown Bidco, a vehicle 70%-owned by Blackstone and 30%-owned by Gates’s Cascade Investment,

OMERS Global Head of Infrastructure Ralph Berg will become global head of capital markets when Ken Miner, who currently holds the position, retires on 1 April, according to a 7 January press release.  Chief Pension Officer Annesley Wallace will step in to lead OMERS’s global infrastructure business.  Read More

Capital Dynamics has put up for sale a 49% stake in a 100 MW/400 MWh battery storage project it is building in Southern California, according to sources familiar with the situation. CohnReznick Capital is advising on the sale of the Saticoy project and this week began sounding out potential bidders, they said. Read More

KKR is actively in the market trying to raise its Diversified Core Infrastructure Fund I, said two sources familiar with the situation.  The asset manager has targeted USD 5bn for its latest offering and is raising it in tandem with its fourth value-add fund, KKR Global Infrastructure Fund IV. KKR is seeking to raise USD 12bn for the fourth fund.   Read

A subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group has launched a sale process of a 6.8 GW fleet of conventional generation assets located in the Northeast. Goldman Sachs is advising on the sale process, according to two sources familiar with the transaction. Read More

Grain Connect is seeking more than GBP 100m of extra capital to help it roll out full-fibre networks, a transaction likely to be of interest to infrastructure funds as they increasingly target the sector.  The Carlisle, Cumbria-based company, which specialises in building broadband networks for new housing developments across the UK, has appointed Cameron

The Carlyle Group today announced a USD 374m investment commitment to Amp Solar Group, a Canadian-based global energy transition platform. Carlyle’s Global Infrastructure Opportunity Fund and Renewable & Sustainable Energy Fund will provide the equity financing, according to a press release. Read More

Hecate Energy is exploring strategic alternatives for a 1.05 GW (ac) portfolio of three contracted solar projects in the US. Cantor Fitzgerald is advising in a process code-named Project Heracles, according to two industry sources familiar with the deal. Read More

Pipeline giant TC Energy has hired Asheley Kinsey, a former managing director at RBC, as a senior vice president of strategy and corporate development. Kinsey starts this month at Calgary-based TC, formerly known as TransCanada. He is based out of Houston, Texas, according to an update on his LinkedIn profile. Read More

John Laing has appointed Rob Memmott, a former CFO at Leeds Bradford International Airport, as its new CFO to lead the investor’s push into new markets. Memmott, who was most recently CFO at Praetura Group, a financial services business providing debt and equity to SMEs predominantly in the north of England, will start in his new role on Wednesday (6

Alvarez & Marsal has further added to its infrastructure expertise, hiring utilities and renewables veteran Dan Gambles from Deloitte. Gambles will join the professional services firm’s UK-based team as a senior director on 11 January, reporting to Managing Director Wayne Jephson, a source close to the situation said. Read More

Onpeak Capital, a renewable energy-focused investment banking boutique, has hired an investment banker in New York, bringing its team to five. The new hire, Luis Iglesias, left CohnReznick Capital in June and joined Onpeak Capital this week as a senior associate, according to two industry sources familiar with the move. Read More

EnCap Investments is expecting a final close of its debut energy transition fund in March, said two sources familiar with the situation.  The platform initially sought to raise USD 1.5bn for EnCap Energy Transition Fund I. Due to COVID-19 and other issues, the fund could fall short of the original target.  Read More

Tony Elkins joined BBGi to work on asset management and business development for the firm’s North American portfolio. Elkins will be based out of Austin, Texas, and report to BBGi’s co-President Duncan Ball. Read More

Sequoia Investment Management Company has added to its infrastructure team with the recruitment of Charles-Olivier Douala from DWS. The appointment of Douala, who joins as a senior associate after nearly two years at DWS, latterly as an associate focused on infrastructure private equity, was announced on LinkedIn by Sequoia’s chief risk officer Anurag

This is a roundup of the main EMEA Inframation and SparkSpread reports published over the festive period. There was no shortage of infrastructure M&A in 2020 despite the coronavirus pandemic, and deal activity continued during the Christmas period.  There was a flurry of take-privates in December and the trend persisted up to Christmas with EQT Infrastructure

International energy products and services distributor UGI Corporation has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Mountaintop Energy Holdings LLC, owner of Mountaineer Gas Company, the largest gas distribution company in West Virginia, according to a 30 December press release. The transaction values Mountaineer at USD 540m, including the assumption

Fotowatio Renewable Ventures sale of a 49% stake in its operating and under-construction Australian solar farms is expected to formally launch in about a month's time, two sources familiar said. A teaser was circulated in October and the aim was to start the bidding process for the circa 500 MW portfolio before the year-end, but an information memorandum

Fluence, an energy storage joint venture backed by AES Corp. and Siemens, has entered into an agreement with the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) for a USD 125m investment. Fluence intends to use the net proceeds from the private placement to further accelerate development of its product offerings, particularly digital products, and deployment of existing

Capital Dynamics acquired the remaining 68.98% stake in Arlington Valley Solar Energy II (AVSE II), a 175MW operating solar farm, from Apollo Global Management that it did not already own, the firm announced. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Read More

Italy’s Enel is considering bidding in PPL Corp.’s sale of UK electricity distribution network operator Western Power Distribution (WPD) and has appointed Rothschild as its financial advisor, said a source close to the situation. A spokesperson for Enel declined comment. Bankers at Rothschild did not respond to enquiries.  Read More

A consortium led by Grupo ACS has dropped out of the bidding for Phase One of the 1-495/1-95 Capital Beltway and I-270 Congestion Relief Improvements P3, said two sources familiar with the situation. State officials were notified of this decision ahead of a 23 December deadline for technical bids. Financial bids come due on 8 January 2021, according to

EQT Infrastructure has made its second move into Scandinavian transport this month, agreeing to acquire Norway’s Torghatten for an enterprise value of nearly eight times 2019 EBITDA.  The Swedish fund manager said on 23 December that it has through its EQT Infrastructure V fund launched an offer to buy Oslo-listed Torghatten, which operates ferry

Global Infrastructure Partners struck a deal to acquire MAP RE/ES, the renewable energy business of MAP Energy, the asset manager announced on 29 December. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Read More

UK advisory firm PKF Francis Clark recently initiated the sale of a contracted anaerobic digestion cogeneration plant in the UK, according to sources familiar with the transaction and a sale teaser seen by SparkSpread. Earlier this month, it began sounding out bidders regarding the sale of a 1.4 MWp plant in southeast England in a deal code-named Project

Japanese financial services company Orix Corporation today said it will acquire an 80% stake in Spanish solar and wind power developer Elawan Energy. Orix will acquire the stake from Spain's Riberas family, while the founders of Elawan - Acek Renewables and CEO Dionisio Fernandez - will continue to hold a 14% and a 6% stake, respectively, according

Capital Dynamics (CapDyn) closed on the sale of a majority interest in its 107.8MW Beacon solar portfolio, the firm announced 28 December.  CapDyn is selling 99% of its stake in the 59.6MW (dc) Beacon II project and the 48.2MW (dc) Beacon V project to TortoiseEcofin and a subsidiary of Shikun & Binui America, according to a 28 December press release.

The city of Inglewood, California will release a Request For Information (RFI) in 1Q21 for its proposed USD 1bn downtown rail link extension, according to a document seen by Inframation. The city is in the process of procuring a design-build-finance-operate-maintain (DBFOM) rail link extension project - the Inglewood Transit Connector (ITC) - which will

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) shortlisted three teams for the Potrero Bus Yard P3, according to a recent announcement. The teams, below, will be invited to participate in the RFP phase in early 2021. Read More

Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA) has agreed to sell its majority stake in Italian gas utility Società Gasdotti Italia S.p.A (SGI) to Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board. They announced on 24 December that MIRA’s Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund 4 has agreed to sell its 69.4% stake in SGI, the owner of a 1,700km gas transmission

Details have emerged of the financial and legal advisors that worked on the sale of a stake in Blackstone Group’s Onyx Renewable Partners L.P. to SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust (SEEIT). BNP Paribas served as exclusive financial advisor to Blackstone on the sale of a 50% interest in solar commercial and industrial (C&I) developer Onyx, along with

SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust (SEEIT) has agreed to acquire a 50% stake in New York-headquartered Onyx Renewable Partners from funds managed by Blackstone. The London-headquartered, SDCL-managed vehicle has also announced today an agreement to acquire 100% of four solar and energy storage portfolios totalling more than 175 MW from Onyx. Read

Empower Energies, a solar power developer focused on the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector, has hired a former managing director at AES Corp. as its CFO. The new hire, Scott Taylor, joins from Moxie Energy, according to two sources familiar with the move. Read More

Eric Silverman, previously co-chair of the project finance group at Milbank, has recruited a team of former executives at Sithe Energies and Credit Suisse for a new private equity firm, Polpis Capital. Silverman’s firm is targeting middle market transactions across clean energy, sustainable transportation and recycling, primarily in North America, according

Mark Liu has joined iCON Infrastructure out of its New York office. Liu previously worked in the principal and lending group in Deutsche Bank as a vice-president in infrastructure and energy for four years. Read More

Applegreen's directors have accepted an offer from Blackstone Infrastructure Partners and the founders of the Irish motorway services operator, bringing the EUR 1.3bn take-private deal closer to completion. The company’s founders Robert Etchingham and Joseph Barrett, and Blackstone Infrastructure will pay EUR 5.75 per share of the London-listed company,

The Renewables Infrastructure Group (TRIG) has announced an investment in a French renewables holding company owned by IPP Akuo Energy. InfraRed Capital Partners-managed TRIG has invested in Phoenix SAS, a holdco comprising five onshore wind farms in northern France with a combined capacity of 74 MW. Read More

Australian motorways group Transurban today appointed Michelle Jablko as chief financial officer. The former CFO of ANZ Bank will replace the outgoing Adam Watson, who left Transurban to join gas infrastructure provider APA Group. Jablko will begin in her role sometime in 2021, Transurban said in an announcement. Read More

The world’s largest energy-from-waste (EfW) project in Dubai is nearing financial close two years after lenders were first approached to raise construction loans, according to sources familiar with the transaction. A bank club is expected to sign an estimated USD 900m debt facility for the 137 MW project in the coming days, one of the sources said. Read

First Sentier Investors has agreed to acquire Swedish utility business Falbygdens Energi AB (FEAB) through its portfolio company Nordion Energi from Infracapital, the latter said on Monday (21 December). Nordion Energi, which was formed a year ago from the merger of Swedish gas companies Swedegas and Weum Gas, saw off competition form Equitix, Polhem

A Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners-backed fund will make an offer of around EUR 415m to acquire a German broadband provider and is planning further equity investments to upgrade its networks.  Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners said on Monday (21 December) that it will make a public takeover offer for Frankfurt-listed Tele Columbus for EUR

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. and its largest shareholder, Total, have announced a memorandum of understanding to form a 50/50 joint venture to develop carbon-negative renewable natural gas (RNG) production facilities in the US, according to a press release.   Clean Energy will provide USD 30m for the JV and Total will provide USD 50m.   Read More

A professional focused on equity investments in the renewable energy sector across the Americas at Allianz Global Investors in New York has taken a new role outside the industry. Catherine Helleux, a professional focused on equity investments in the renewable energy sector across the Americas at Allianz Global Investors in New York, has joined a venture