Energy Infrastructure Partners and electric vehicle infrastructure champion Electra launch Swiss joint venture

  • On behalf of a group of Swiss pension funds, Energy Infrastructure Partners will manage a 49.9% stake in the long-term joint venture with up to EUR 200 million in initial capital
  • Active in 8 countries and with more than 500 charging points, Electra is revolutionizing electric vehicle infrastructure by installing fast-charging stations across strategic European markets

ZURICH & PARIS, 29 August 2023 — Energy Infrastructure Partners, a leading investor in the energy transition, has signed an agreement on behalf of a group of Swiss pension funds it represents to partner with Electra, an early mover and European champion in the electric vehicle infrastructure industry.

As portfolio manager for an investment group of Swiss pension funds focused on Swiss energy infrastructure within the Credit Suisse Investment Foundation, EIP will manage a 49.9% share of the new joint venture with EUR 200 million in initial capital to be injected through 2026. The joint venture’s mission is to expand Electra’s installed base of charging sites in the Swiss and Austrian markets.

Adding 200 fast-charging charging stations in the next three years

Beyond the sites already secured in Switzerland – chiefly in Geneva and Lausanne – Electra has an extensive pipeline of sites under consideration. The joint venture aims to install 100 fast-charging stations in each country by 2026.

“Accelerating the transition to electric mobility is high on the agenda in Switzerland and at EIP. Considering Electra’s rapid success in the French market and strong growth in strategic international markets, EIP is excited to bring Swiss knowhow and capital to turbocharge the company’s growth,” said Peter Schümers, EIP partner and co-head of Investments.

Switzerland has already developed itself into a proving ground for the electric vehicle industry, with new vehicle registrations in 2023 20% higher than larger neighbors like France and Germany, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. Through a bundle of measures called the Electromobility Roadmap, the Swiss government is supporting efforts to nearly triple the country’s installed base of charging stations and increase the share of electric vehicles to 50% of all new registrations.

“We are delighted to be joining forces with EIP, a well-known Swiss player that also specializes in energy infrastructure. Their involvement demonstrates their confidence in our ability to rapidly develop our stations in the country,” said Aurélien de Meaux, CEO of Electra.

About Energy Infrastructure Partners AG 

Energy Infrastructure Partners AG is a Switzerland-based manager of collective assets focused on long-term equity investments in high-quality, large-scale renewables and system-critical energy infrastructure assets. Our strategy and investment horizon align with the lifetime of the underlying assets and generate visible cash flows. With over CHF 5 billion under management, EIP leverages an extensive industry network, broad transaction experience and partnerships with leading energy companies and the public sector to develop and manage investment solutions for institutional investors globally. EIP’s investor base includes pension funds, insurance companies and large family offices, who are increasingly interested in contributing to the security of the energy supply as a pathway to create positive economic, ecological and social developments, and whose long-term funding needs closely match the energy infrastructure asset class.

About Electra

Electra is the first French pure player in the electric vehicle charging industry. Its ambition: to definitively erase friction around electric vehicle adoption thanks to a massive, fast and efficient charging network. The company is trusted by major groups such as Vinci Autoroutes, AccorInvest, LSGI, Altarea Commerce, Indigo, Louvre Hotels Group, Primonial REIM France, Chopard Group, Jardiland and Delhaize Group in Belgium. With the support of 120 senior experts, Electra invests heavily in innovation and research to offer a unique user experience defined by rich, intuitive and customizable mobile interfaces. The company is building a dense network of charging infrastructure across Europe with the target to have a fleet of more than 8,000 charging points available by 2030. The company, which raised 175 million euros, recently entered the Next 40 of French Tech.

Media contact

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Schweizer Personalvorsorge: Energy infrastructure assets as a historic investment opportunity

This article was originally published in German in the April 2023 edition of the Schweizer Personalvorsorge.

The energy crisis is a major issue not only in Switzerland, but also globally. Beat Goetz, Global Head of Client Solutions at Energy Infrastructure Partners (EIP), explains why investments in energy infrastructure are worthwhile.

 

Ensuring supply security is a high priority and is currently on everyone’s minds. What does this mean for pension funds?

Beat Goetz: Pension funds are the main retirement provision pillar: They represent the most important source of income for the vast majority of current and future pensioners. Due to the long-term nature of their obligations, pension funds also have a very long investment horizon, which in principle corresponds to the longevity of energy infrastructure assets. The holistic transformation and expansion of the energy sector while reducing CO2 emissions and simultaneously ensuring energy supply security is a major challenge. The current energy crisis has its origins not only in the Ukraine war, but is also due to lack of investment over the preceding decades. This has resulted in an enormous need for investment today, offering institutional investors the opportunity to contribute to the security of energy supply with long-term investments in energy infrastructure and at the same time to generate stable, partially regulated and inflation-protected returns. In Switzerland alone, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy anticipates an investment requirement of at least 1.5 trillion Swiss francs by 2050. The global need for investment in the holistic conversion and expansion of the energy sector is many times higher.

You are addressing inflation protection. Rising inflation and the associated measures taken by the central banks are putting the markets under pressure. How does energy infrastructure behave in this environment?

Beat Goetz: Thanks to their macroeconomic importance, investments in energy infrastructure tend to be more robust to economic downturns and therefore less exposed to market fluctuations than other asset classes. As the backbone of modern economies, energy infrastructure is systemically relevant and therefore has increased resilience in crises. We have observed these outstanding characteristics in our investments during the Corona pandemic as well the current energy crisis. In addition, the returns from energy infrastructure are often secured via long-term contracts or regulatory regimes, and in some cases are directly or indirectly linked to the development of inflation. For investors, this generally leads to regular, stable real returns with good predictability.

Energy infrastructure is a complex asset class that requires substantial investment sums. How can institutional investors participate in this megatrend without cluster risks?

Beat Goetz: In view of the enormous investment requirements for the conversion and renewal of energy infrastructure, we have developed a global investment solution together with Credit Suisse Investment Foundation. Geographically, the solution is centered on Europe and OECD countries with a correspondingly high ESG rating. The focus is on the subsectors of renewable energy, energy transmission and distribution, system flexibility and energy storage. These 4 sub-sectors have low correlation with each other and also have low correlation with other infrastructure sectors and other asset classes. This gives investors access to a geographically and technologically broadly diversified investment universe. Diversification must also be required in this asset class. Due to the complexity of infrastructure investments, it is generally advisable to work with sector specialists who focus exclusively on the energy market.

What role does sustainability play in investments in energy infrastructure?

Beat Goetz: Environmental and social responsibility is a key factor for successful investments in energy infrastructure. Together with our investors, we contribute to the holistic transformation and expansion of the energy sector. Institutional investors can play an important role in this by contributing to positive economic and social development, the population’s retirement provision and energy security, and a future with lower CO2 emissions. The impact is tangible: Investments made on behalf of our customers will produce enough renewable energy to power 1.5 million homes over the next 25 years. Moreover, energy infrastructure is a broadly diversified and resilient sector that spans a variety of business models, technologies, and geographic regions with different regulatory regimes. Yet these assets have one thing in common: Their critical role in today’s and tomorrow’s economy and society, now more than ever.

 

Beat Goetz is Global Head of Client Solutions at Energy Infrastructure Partners (EIP). The company is a Swiss collective asset manager with over CHF 5 billion in assets under management, specializing in long-term direct investments in high-value, renewable and system-critical energy infrastructure assets.

 

EIP closes investment in Fluxys group, operator of global system-critical energy transmission infrastructure

  • Fluxys group’s portfolio includes liquefied natural gas terminals, underground storage infrastructure and a vast transmission network connecting key European economies
  • Investment deepens partnership between Fluxys and EIP, which began in 2016, while increasing access to regulated assets for EIP clients and co-investors 

ZURICH, February 22, 2023 — Energy Infrastructure Partners, a leading infrastructure investor focused on the global energy transition, has on behalf of its clients and a consortium of Belgian institutional co-investors acquired a 19.85% stake in the Fluxys group, a global operator of system-critical energy transmission infrastructure. Following regulatory approval, the transaction closed this week.  

Fluxys operates gas transmission infrastructure and terminals for liquefied natural gas, or LNG. These assets form the backbone of natural gas trade between continents and throughout Europe. In the decades ahead, this same infrastructure could lay the groundwork for the transport of low-carbon molecules like hydrogen, a transition fuel that could support many industrial processes and bring flexibility to the energy system.  

The group’s existing infrastructure along with its expertise and development pipeline position it also as a key player in the emerging field of carbon capture, transport and storage. In partnership with Norway’s Equinor ASA, Fluxys is planning to connect its onshore pipeline network to a carbon storage facility in the Norwegian continental shelf beneath the North Sea. 

Strategic backbone for European and global energy markets 

“Today we are excited to deepen our partnership with Fluxys, which has been a key partner for EIP since 2016,” said Roland Dörig, EIP co-founder and managing partner. “This impressive portfolio of system-critical infrastructure assets forms a strategic backbone for European and global energy markets — a role it’s positioned to maintain for decades to come as we write the future of the energy industry together.”  

“We are excited to have EIP and the Belgian institutional co-investors on board as shareholders,“ said Daniël Termont, Fluxys group president and representative of Fluxys’s main shareholder Publigas. “We ​highly appreciate EIP’s long-term investment horizon, exclusive focus on energy infrastructure and in-depth sector knowledge.​ As shareholders we join forces around the group’s strategy to be the essential infrastructure partner for speeding up the green transition. We have the resolve, the capabilities and the infrastructure to make a key contribution to society’s decarbonization journey.​” 

Supply critical asset base and strategic gateways 

Fluxys’s portfolio includes liquefied natural gas terminals in Belgium, France and Greece, essential gateways connecting Europe with the world. These terminals contribute heavily to the globalization of energy markets, enable price discovery between continents and increase the security of the energy supply. 

The group also controls a global network of gas pipelines 12,000-kilometers long. In Europe, where Fluxys also operates a gas storage facility, this infrastructure brings much-needed flexibility to some of the continent’s most important markets including Germany, France, Italy, Belgium and the United Kingdom. It also connects Europe with strategic gateway countries like Azerbaijan through Greece.  

At peak output, Fluxys’s fleet of import terminals and pipelines around the Belgian port of Zeebrugge adds the equivalent of 60 nuclear reactors to the energy supply, according to the company’s management. This scale makes Fluxys’s asset base absolutely supply critical not only for Belgium but for all of Europe. Considering these contributions to society and the security of the energy supply, many governments have designed regulatory regimes for these assets that create a stable investment environment. 

Deepening partnership between Fluxys and EIP 

Beyond the existing assets in Europe and the Americas, where it also has pipelines and an LNG terminal, Fluxys has an extensive range of projects under consideration to help increase the security of the energy supply. In many cases, these projects will increase the operating base of multi-molecule infrastructure. 

“Considering the impressive pipeline of M&A opportunities and greenfield projects assembled by Fluxys’s management team, we are looking forward to decades of tightknit partnership,” said Tim Marahrens, EIP partner and co-head of Investments. “Together we are making a firm commitment to creating a sustainable, cost-competitive and secure European and global energy market.”  

The EIP-led consortium includes AG Insurance and Ethias SA, two leaders in the Belgian insurance market with a combined 300 years of history; and Belgium’s Federal Holding and Investment Company, a government wealth fund that invests in strategic assets with social value.  

Since 2016, EIP and Fluxys have partnered in the management of Transitgas, a key artery connecting northern and southern European and allowing the continent’s three largest economies, Germany, France and Italy, to trade with each other. 

About Energy Infrastructure Partners AG  

Energy Infrastructure Partners AG is a Switzerland-based manager of collective assets focused on long-term equity investments in high-quality, large-scale renewables and system-critical energy infrastructure assets. Our strategy and investment horizon align with the lifetime of the underlying assets and generate visible cash flows. With over CHF 5 billion under management, EIP leverages an extensive industry network, broad transaction experience and partnerships with leading energy companies and the public sector to develop and manage investment solutions for institutional investors globally. EIP’s investor base includes pension funds, insurance companies and large family offices, who are increasingly interested in contributing to security of the energy supply as a pathway to create positive economic, ecological and social developments, and whose long-term funding needs closely match the energy infrastructure asset class. 

Media contact

[email protected]

St. Gallen Business Review: Investing in the Infrastructure Asset Class

For the original publication, click here.

In the past year, the energy markets were faced with many unprecedented challenges. At Energy Infrastructure Partners, you have been dealing with critical infrastructure since 2014. In your eyes, what market conditions have led to the current situation?

This question is exciting. Many people think that the reason for the problems in the energy markets is the war in Ukraine. But we don’t believe that the explanation is that simple – the causes lie much deeper. We see the war in Ukraine less as a cause and more as a trigger. The war itself started at a time when the situation in the energy markets was already very tense. Let me give you an example: At that time, about half of France’s nuclear fleet was undergoing an overhaul, which also lasted longer than originally planned. The fact that this refurbishment then coincided with the onset of the war was of course very unfortunate, especially since the overhaul of the nuclear power plants had already reduced the amount of electricity fed into the European energy grid – and now the flow of gas from Russia to Europe was also being throttled. The market reacted very sensitively to this. Of course, the fact that in the past the focus of the expansion and restructuring of the energy system was primarily on decarbonization, and less on the security of supply, also contributed to this.

Very interesting perspective! In the meantime, some of the problems you mentioned have been partially resolved – in France, for example. However, it doesn’t seem that energy prices have largely returned to normal. What is the reason for this?

Currently, seven nuclear power plants in France are still disconnected from the grid. That is one factor. Another factor is that missing Russian gas has to be replaced by substitutes. Any substitute for Russian gas is more expensive than the Russian gas itself. As the gas is then converted into electricity, the electricity becomes correspondingly more expensive. This is because a so-called merit order model is followed in the electricity market. Here, power plant capacities are ordered according to increasing marginal costs. Pricing is then determined by the power plant with the highest marginal costs that are just needed to meet market demand. Due to the general shortage of energy, gas-fired power plants in Europe are usually the power plants that are just needed to meet the demand for electricity. As a result, they act as price-setters, also for all other forms of energy.

So when people ask how long it will be before we get back to pre-crisis electricity prices, the unfortunate answer is: it won’t happen that quickly. As long as any substitute for Russian gas is more expensive than Russian gas itself, electricity prices will remain high.

Certain substitutes for Russian gas are likely to become available relatively quickly. This attempt to find substitutes for the lack of gas from Russia as quickly as possible could perhaps also negatively affect investments in renewable energy sources. Do you share this fear?

I also believe that appropriate substitutes will be available quickly, whereas investments in sustainable energy sources, which may even be much cheaper in the long term, cannot be implemented as fast. The construction of LNG terminals in Germany proves exactly that. Such constructions, which today take less than 10 months, would probably not even have been completed in 10 years before the current crisis. The expansion of renewable energies, on the other hand, continues to be very time-consuming due to lengthy approval procedures, even though renewables could be built quite quickly compared to conventional energy producers.

By expanding renewables faster, close to the consumer, we can not only reduce our CO2 emissions but also increase our security of supply from a geopolitical perspective.

We will come back to the issue of sustainability later. But to stay briefly on the subject of supply security and current market conditions, do you see any likelihood of simplifying and accelerating planning and approval procedures for sustainable energy sources as in the case of LNG terminals?

At the very least, we can observe an effort on the part of politicians to do just that in many countries. Switzerland is a good example of this, but we are also seeing something similar in other European countries, such as France. Personally, I would argue that the current environment must also be understood as a favorable environment for the restructuring of our energy system. This also involves questions of decentralizing and restructuring the power grids, which have so far been designed inflexibly and built mainly for large centralized plants. Finally, it is not only a question of generating energy, but also of distributing it in a sensible manner. All of this leads to an enormous need for investment. Fortunately, we are seeing the appropriate political will in this regard.

Very exciting! Let’s move on to another topic. With your company Energy Infrastructure Partners, your original goal was to make renewable energies investable as well. You have made many investments in this area since then. What is your next goal?

In the beginning, we wanted to make energy infrastructure investable for the Swiss population via insurance companies and pension funds. We have continued to grow from the inside out over the years since we were founded. Even during our early days, we were asked why we only invest in energy infrastructure. It was always clear to us that energy infrastructure is a defensive sector in the infrastructure asset class, which also has enormous economic significance. That’s why we want to focus precisely on this, which means that we can only grow by expanding our geographical scope. This is exactly what we have done, for example, with a fund set up solely for foreign investments. At the moment, we have an office in Luxembourg in addition to our office in Zurich. We are currently setting up an office in Germany. After that, we want to grow outside Europe with locations in the USA and Asia.

One region you did not mention is Latin America. Enormous infrastructure investments are particularly needed there. Why is Latin America not a priority for you?

As you correctly said, Latin America is not a priority for us. We have applied a very strict filter when selecting the regions in which we currently want to invest. We want to invest primarily in areas where we expect stable conditions in the long term. Criteria in the selection process include, for example, an investment grade rating of the relevant countries and an MSCI ESG Government Rating of at least BBB at the time of investment. In addition, the countries must be members of the OECD. These three filters eliminate a large number of countries: In Latin America, this leaves only Chile, which is not our focus.

Instead, we want to focus outside Europe on countries such as South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. In such countries, we find an appropriately high level of legal certainty. Since we have a long-term horizon, this is particularly important to us. We also find such an environment in the USA. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was only recently passed, which provides for enormous investments in energy infrastructure as well. In such a market, we want to be all the more present.

In private equity, the usual investment horizon is around seven years. Is it at all possible to realize such an investment horizon with investments in energy infrastructure, that is, to sell the investment again after seven years?

You raise an interesting point. Our primary objective is not to generate capital gains, but to reap cash flows over the long term. That’s why when we started Energy Infrastructure Partners, we always said that the typical private equity investment horizons are much too short for this. Even for solar plants, we are speaking of an investment horizon between 25 and 35 years. For hydropower, this is between 40 and 80 years.

Many utilities have also realized over the last few years that there are different types of financial partners with different investment horizons. We have stated from the onset that we want to invest for the very, very long term. That’s why, on the one hand, we have set up vehicles that have an open investment horizon, so-called open-end structures. On the other hand, we have also set up closed-end structures, which are investment structures with a defined investment horizon, in our case usually over 25 years. With such structures, we have great advantages when sourcing investment opportunities. This is particularly the case when it comes to working with the public sector, but we are also much more attractive for industrial partners because we think very long-term.

Let’s leave aside pension funds as limited partners in your funds for the moment. Looking towards international investors who usually do not expect an exit after 25 years, have you seen a similar shift towards longer investment horizons in recent years?

What we are indeed seeing is a growing interest in long-term investment vehicles that harvest cash flows over many years. Aside from pension funds, insurance companies and sovereign wealth funds are particularly interested in these long investment horizons. Family offices are also showing growing interest. We have also noticed that limited partners that invest in products with a shorter term of ten years, for example, often reinvest the money in the same asset class after the cash-out. However, an investment always involves costs, for example for lawyers or advisors. Thus, many have come to the realization that investing over longer investment horizons can be more cost-effective in this aspect.

The term has a negative connotation, but that would make Energy Infrastructure Partners comparable to an energy conglomerate, wouldn’t it?

We prefer to talk about a balanced, diversifying portfolio. But the main value for us is in the ongoing cash flows.

You are acting as a private investor in often critical infrastructure. In this respect, there is usually sufficient public interest and much of the infrastructure is already highly regulated. Do you see a conflict between aspects of market freedom and public interest?

I believe that private operators and the public hand should ultimately work together closely: That’s where the solution lies. The private sector is usually very good at accumulating capital and then moving it to the right places. The biggest contribution that the public sector can make is to provide a stable framework for the long term, so that uncertainty on the part of investors can be prevented. Stable conditions help to reduce volatility, i.e. risk, which in turn reduces risk premiums. Ultimately, this also reduces the cost of capital, which makes infrastructure investments more favorable overall. This observation applies to both equity and debt. The bottom line is that this is also beneficial for consumers, as it means that infrastructure can be operated more efficiently and at a lower cost. This, in turn, should actually also be in the interest of politicians.

In the last issue on the topic of aspiration, we also spoke with Mirjam Staub-Bisang, the Country Manager of BlackRock in Switzerland. One interesting statement she made was that it is also important to invest in assets that are not yet sustainable from the outset, in order to make them sustainable step by step. Some dirty assets are not going to disappear just because more and more investors are following clear sustainability guidelines. Does investing in previously environmentally unfriendly assets for the purpose of transformation also represent one of your approaches?

We certainly see these opportunities, although it must be said that we would never invest directly in coal or oil ourselves – that is also a risk consideration. But what I would say is that gas, in particular, has a right to exist in a transition phase. Presently, we would not be able to keep the energy system stable enough with renewables alone. At any given time, as much electricity must be fed into the power grid as is being withdrawn at the same time. If this is not the case, then the entire power grid becomes unstable and endangers the security of supply. Renewables alone cannot generate a secure baseload due to the volatility of wind and sunshine. To stabilize the supply situation, we, therefore, need pumped-storage and gas-fired power plants, for example, which can be connected to the grid very quickly to compensate for any lulls in renewables at peak load times. That’s why gas-fired power plants currently have their raison d’être. Interestingly, the gas transport infrastructure could also be reused for the transport of hydrogen. So there is a lot of potential in this area, even in the long term.

But not all that glitters is gold, and not everything that appears green is green. In Brazil, for example, there are hydroelectric dams that emit enormous amounts of methane through the decay of organic materials at the bottom of the reservoirs, which is around 25 times more harmful to the climate than the greenhouse gas CO2. Researchers estimate that the climate damage of such dams per kilowatt-hour of electricity is up to 40 times that of a kilowatt-hour produced by a coal-fired power plant. How are such climate dangers, some of which are not obvious, dealt with?

I can only speak for us on this issue. ESG is a very important and present issue. That means environmental, social, and governance issues. We even have a separate Investment Committee that initially reviews investments solely on the basis of these criteria. Only when the investment has been approved by this committee, it can move forward to the regular investment committee. Concerns such as the one you raised would, of course, be closely scrutinized. I am not a biologist, but I would imagine that these kinds of problems are also strongly related to where the dam in question is located in the first place and how much organic material is stored at the bottom of the lake.

You recently invested in Repsol Renovables, the sustainable subsidiary of the oil company Repsol. Other fossil fuel companies have also established subsidiaries focused on sustainable energy production in recent years. In the future, should more of these corporations partner with investors who already have experience in this area?

It’s exciting for industry partners to work with sector specialists like us. By selling minority stakes, companies increase their liquidity without relinquishing control. In the end, however, they have the choice of which partner to go with. That’s where it’s up to us to convince. We can do this through our expertise in sustainable energies and supply-critical energy infrastructure, as well as through our long time horizon of 25 to 30 years. With our know-how, we then help to move the company forward in the longer term.

Will such partnerships become even more important for you in the future?

Partnering with industrial companies is in our DNA. From the very beginning, we wanted to invest with industrial partners. The fact that we started working on this topic before everyone was talking about it helps us today, of course. For us, this idea also made sense at the time for risk considerations.

One might think that it is difficult for you to get new capital for investment at the moment, as infrastructure investments are very highly valued in asset managers’ portfolios. Excessive exposure to a market is usually avoided in order to minimize risks. Do you currently feel this?

It’s more that other asset classes have corrected, and infrastructure is overweighted among some investors as a result. However, we have talked about the huge need for investment. Along with other factors, this has a positive impact on expected returns and provides an incentive for investors to continue investing in the sector.

Is it perhaps also because institutional investors are paying more attention to ESG criteria and therefore want to invest specifically in sustainable energy infrastructure?

Definitely; this is a huge topic. In Switzerland, but also in the EU with the taxonomy, it is very relevant. You can’t really launch an investment vehicle anymore without taking ESG factors into consideration. But it also makes sense from a business perspective – after all, risks and opportunities are considered. I want to avoid risks as much as possible, and I want to realize opportunities. So it’s essential to consider issues like climate change, precipitation patterns, or similar factors. For us, this is also a part of the investment process that we look at closely.

You are not only stewards but also operators of critical infrastructure. Recently, we have seen more and more cyber attacks on infrastructure units. How do you plan to deal with this problem in the future and what precautions are you taking?

During my time at St. Gallen, I majored in information management and thus have a high affinity for this field. Especially in recent years, the explosiveness of this topic has increased greatly. In the past, you had to physically go into a plant to do damage. Since power plants have been digitized and connected to the grid, new protective measures must be taken. For us, in concrete terms, this means making even more frequent queries of security systems and taking appropriate measures to protect ourselves against such cyberattacks.

You just mentioned that in the past you had to physically go into facilities to do damage. The events surrounding the damage to the Nord Stream pipelines also point to physical sabotage. Does this mean that problems from the past are becoming topical again?

As a private-sector company, we do everything we can to ensure the physical protection of infrastructure units. However, when it comes to territorial integrity, this is fundamentally the responsibility of the state. The state must ensure that the population and, in particular, supply-critical infrastructure are protected. Politicians are very aware of this task. In this context, we try to minimize our risk through diversification and draw up plans to be prepared in a worst-case scenario and to minimize the damage. I also come back to what I said about the countries in which we invest. These already meet high-security standards.

In theory, it could be assumed that investments in Nordic areas should receive a higher risk premium due to the threat from Russia. Can this be seen in the market?

That is an interesting thought. So far, we haven’t observed this, which is probably due to the political stability and the strong military defense of these countries.

Leaving behind the many crises we’ve spoken about, what advice would you give to students who want to get to grips more intensively with the subject of infrastructure investing?

I can recommend reading a lot and doing internships. I think there are two clear reasons to be interested in infrastructure investment. On the one hand, you can invest pension funds’ money and contribute to beneficiaries having a better pension. On the other hand, you can participate in a transformation that moves our society forward. Overall, there is probably no other area that is as relevant to the national economy as the energy supply. During Covid, we saw that there was always an attempt to maintain the operation of necessary infrastructure, including by politicians.

To conclude: What gives you personal hope these days?

First and foremost, it’s the team that we work with. When I come into the office in the morning, there are 90 highly motivated specialists working every day on issues relating to investments in energy infrastructure. Working with employees from 26 countries every day never ceases to excite and motivate me. On the other hand, of course, it motivates me to see the impact we have through our work. Currently, our portfolio could supply the equivalent of half of all Swiss households with sustainable electricity.

Energy Infrastructure Partners announces research cooperation with ETH Zurich

  • Energy Infrastructure Partners and ETH Zurich will collaborate to rethink Switzerland’s energy future through data-backed research
  • The project will synthesize ETH Zurich’s Nexus-e modeling platform technology with EIP’s specialist expertise

ZURICH, December 20, 2022 — Energy Infrastructure Partners and the ETH Zurich Energy Science Center have signed a research collaboration. Over the coming months, EIP and ETH Zurich will develop a set of scenarios and assess their impact on the future of Switzerland’s electricity system, including prices, volatility and the need for generation capacity.

The current year has been historic for the energy markets, upending many former paradigms and raising questions about security of supply in Europe and Switzerland. Through their analysis, EIP and ETH Zurich aim to provide decision makers with fresh perspectives. The collaboration will develop data-backed insights to illustrate pathways into a sustainable and secure energy future, while identifying potential risks and opportunities to the Swiss and European energy systems.

“We’re excited to be working closely with the experts at ETH Zurich on this project. We expect the results of our collaboration to support the EIP team to better understand Switzerland’s energy future, as well as to provide asset-specific impacts and opportunities arising from potential scenarios,” commented Roland Dörig, EIP’s co-founder and managing partner.

The project will involve two main stages, the first of which will be used to establish, develop and discuss proposed electricity system scenarios; the second stage will assess the impacts of the previously-defined scenarios, with a particular focus on hourly and seasonal volatility and the consequential revenue effects for operators.

About Energy Infrastructure Partners AG 

Energy Infrastructure Partners AG is a Switzerland-based manager of collective assets focused on long-term equity investments in high-quality, large-scale renewables and system-critical energy infrastructure assets. Our strategy and investment horizon align with the lifetime of the underlying assets and generate visible cash flows. With over CHF 5 billion under management, EIP leverages an extensive industry network, broad transaction experience and partnerships with leading energy companies and the public sector to develop and manage investment solutions for institutional investors globally. EIP’s investor base includes pension funds, insurance companies and large family offices, who are increasingly interested in contributing to security of the energy supply as a pathway to create positive economic, ecological and social developments, and whose long-term funding needs closely match the energy infrastructure asset class.

Media contact

[email protected]

With funding of EUR 1bn, Energy Infrastructure Partners holds first close of its energy transition infrastructure fund

  • Considering strong deal-making momentum and demand from Swiss pension funds, EIP expands focus to global institutional investors and targets EUR 4bn for fund’s final close
  • The first close focused on Swiss pension funds who contributed more than EUR 700m through the Credit Suisse Investment Foundation’s investment group “CSA Energy-Transition Infrastructure”
  • EIP closed two landmark transactions in the first leg of fundraising. Fund’s seed assets include leading French renewables platform Boralex and Repsol’s global renewable energy arm; investment in Fluxys’s global energy transmission network awaits closing

ZURICH, December 13, 2022 — Energy Infrastructure Partners, one of the world’s leading infrastructure investors focused on the energy transition, successfully raised investor commitments of EUR 1bn in collaboration with Credit Suisse Investment Foundation for the first close of its global energy transition infrastructure fund.

Following previous strategies focused on energy transition assets in Switzerland and Europe, EIP’s global fund targets investments in developed economies worldwide. Its investment strategy focuses on three types of system-critical energy infrastructure where its expertise comes into play: assets that generate carbon-free energy; assets that transport energy, like power grids and transmission networks; and assets that store energy, like grid-scale batteries and pumped storage power plants, thus adding flexibility to energy systems.

By creating a diversified portfolio spanning these subsectors, the fund seeks to offer investors attractive risk-adjusted returns and visible cash yield while decarbonizing the energy sector and strengthening the security of supply in every market where it invests.

Historic opportunity to invest in the energy transition

“From households paying higher energy bills to central bankers fighting inflation, our sector is at the top of everyone’s mind right now,” said Roland Dörig, EIP’s co-founder and managing partner. “The need for investments in energy infrastructure globally has rarely been so obvious. As specialists focused exclusively on the energy infrastructure, we offer our investors know-how accumulated across more than 50 infrastructure investments and, among our senior leadership, more than 3 centuries of combined industry experience.”

As with the predecessor funds, EIP will continue to execute its investment mandate alongside strategic industrial partners, including leading global blue-chip energy companies like Repsol S.A., RWE and Iberdrola S.A.

Throughout the first close EIP concentrated on serving the Swiss pension market in close collaboration with the Credit Suisse Investment Foundation. Many Swiss pensions funds are now investing in an EIP-managed portfolio for the second or third time.

Energy infrastructure as an asset class, strong global dealmaking momentum

“The strong demand from our longstanding Swiss client base – especially amid several choppy quarters in public markets and central banks’ movement away from a low-rate environment – is a strong vote of confidence in EIP and energy infrastructure,” said Beat Goetz, EIP’s head of global client solutions. “Considering the unique qualities of system-critical energy infrastructure, this space is seen more and more as its own asset class.”

As of the first close, the fund’s investors will participate in two major investments EIP completed earlier this year: A 30% stake in Boralex Inc.’s French renewables platform, one of the country’s largest renewables platforms with more than 1 gigawatt of installed generation capacity; and the 25% stake EIP shares with Crédit Agricole Assurances in Repsol’s global renewable energy unit Repsol Renovables, with more than 1.6 gigawatts of installed capacity globally.

Both investments come with ambitious growth plans to expand the operating asset base – by 2030 Boralex’s capacity should increase by 3x, Repsol’s by 10x – and expand into new geographies in both Europe and the Americas.

EIP has also reached an exclusive agreement to take a 19.85% stake in Fluxys, a global operator of system-critical energy transmission infrastructure. The group’s portfolio includes liquefied natural gas terminals, gas storage facilities and a network of gas pipelines that serves Europe’s largest markets and provides important arteries between the continent and the rest of the world.

Given the size of the deal pipeline and global investor appetite, EIP is accelerating its fundraising efforts for a second close while expanding its focus beyond Switzerland. Targeting EUR 4bn in total commitment, the fund’s final close is planned for the end of 2024.

Inside the portfolio: Repsol Renovables

Inside the portfolio: Boralex France

About Energy Infrastructure Partners AG 

Energy Infrastructure Partners AG is a Switzerland-based manager of collective assets focused on long-term equity investments in high-quality, large-scale renewables and system-critical energy infrastructure assets. Our strategy and investment horizon align with the lifetime of the underlying assets and generate stable, visible cash flows. With over CHF 5 billion under management, EIP leverages an extensive industry network, broad transaction experience and partnerships with leading energy companies and the public sector to develop and manage investment solutions for institutional investors globally. EIP’s investor base includes pension funds, insurance companies and large family offices, who are increasingly interested in contributing to security of the energy supply as a pathway to create positive economic, ecological and social developments, and whose long-term funding needs closely match the energy infrastructure asset class.

Media contact

[email protected]

Investments in Hydrogen: What Switzerland has to contribute and gain — NZZ Nachhaltig Investieren 

Around 15 percent of carbon dioxide emissions cannot simply be eliminated by clean energy. That’s where hydrogen, the Swiss Army knife of the energy transition, steps in.

The classic answer to solving the energy transition seems obvious: By powering everything with green electricity, harmful carbon dioxide emissions disappear. Sounds simple – but there’s a catch.

Torsten Kowalski and Beat Goetz

Originally published on 2 December within the NZZ’s December 2022 issue of “Nachhaltig Investieren.”
Download the original article (in German) or read it online.

According to Columbia University’s School of Climate Research, around 15 percent of carbon dioxide emissions cannot simply be eliminated by clean energy. That’s where hydrogen, the Swiss Army knife of the energy transition, steps in.

Like a versatile Swiss Army knife, hydrogen can be used in a variety of ways to significantly reduce remaining carbon dioxide emissions – but the possible use of hydrogen must be carefully weighed for each application. “You could change the tire on your bicycle with a Swiss Army knife, but you wouldn’t. There is always something cheaper, safer and easier,” says Michael Liebreich, founder of Bloomberg New Energy Finance and an expert on the energy transition. That’s because hydrogen has a weak point: If hydrogen is produced from green electricity, up to a third of the energy used is lost. The same occurs if the energy stored in the hydrogen is used to create electricity in a power plant.

Yet the flexibility and dynamics of hydrogen are unique and make it particularly valuable as a means of storing and transporting energy. From the margarine on your breakfast table, to the chemicals in your car, to the plastic bag at the supermarket – you can’t do anything without the hydrogen molecule. Its primary use is in industrial applications, where greenhouse gas emissions cannot be eliminated even by green power. This group of use cases includes fertilizer manufacturing, steel production and dozens of other industrial processes that cannot be electrified.

New infrastructure for the energy transition

Many advanced economies have made progress by adding renewable generation sources to their energy mix, integrating wind farms and solar power plants into existing infrastructure. To achieve the same with hydrogen, the infrastructure for its production, transport and application must simultaneously be developed or retrofitted. That requires investors – and the investment requirements are high.

According to the “Hydrogen4EU” study conducted by Deloitte, up to 5.5 trillion euros will be needed over the next 30 years – or the equivalent of seven times Switzerland’s annual economic output. This figure includes the cost of repurposing existing infrastructure, like natural gas pipelines, which will be much more cost efficient than developing new infrastructure from the ground up.

Energy Infrastructure Partners (EIP) was founded in 2014 with the aim of helping to shape the future of the global energy sector. Since then, the Zurich-based company has been investing over the long term on behalf of clients into high-quality, large-scale renewable energy infrastructure such as wind farms and solar and hydropower plants. The company also focuses on energy transport assets such as power grids and pipelines, infrastructure that today transports natural gas but could be converted in the near future to transport hydrogen.

Supplying Europe with hydrogen

Just a few weeks ago, EIP signed an agreement to participate in the Belgian gas transmission system operator Fluxys on behalf of its clients. Fluxys’ 12,000-kilometer network connects Europe’s core regions and is also linked to import routes from Asia via Greece.

Fluxys is also preparing for a post-fossil fuels future. However, “it is not yet possible to say today what the future will look like in 30 years,” says Fluxys CEO Pascal De Buck. “What is needed is a combination of different solutions, including hydrogen.” The pipeline network will play a key role. An analysis by the industry association Hydrogen Council in collaboration with McKinsey & Company predicts that 60 percent of hydrogen and hydrogen derivative consumption will be imported over long distances in the future. Countries with a bountiful supply of sunlight that can be used for solar power in southern Europe, and even in North Africa and the Middle East, could deliver green hydrogen at low cost across Europe. Therefore, the ability to import and transport hydrogen across Europe would become invaluable within the next decades.

Switzerland’s early involvement

EIP is also heavily committed at home in Switzerland. As portfolio manager for a Swiss investment group in which a significant number of Swiss pension funds participate, the company manages a large stake in energy company Alpiq, which makes an important contribution to Switzerland’s security of supply. Alpiq has also driven the construction of one of the country’s first industrial hydrogen generators. In the electrolyzer at the Gösgen run-of-river power station, green electricity is used to split water into its components, oxygen and hydrogen. “Hydrogen is becoming a key energy carrier that will play a similarly central role in a net-zero world as natural gas does today,” says Alpiq CEO Antje Kanngiesser. “As a first mover in Switzerland, Alpiq can gain valuable experience and know-how early on,” explains Kanngiesser.

Since 2016, EIP has also managed a stake in the Ticino-based company FluxSwiss, which organizes the Transitgas pipeline’s cross-border trading activities. Transitgas connects Switzerland with Italy, France and Germany. Today, it is an artery that supplies Switzerland with natural gas, but in the future, it could play a decisive role in transporting hydrogen from southern Europe to Switzerland and further north. The associated technical adaptations can, in principle, be implemented with appropriate investments at competitive costs.

“We need a strategy”

As with all major infrastructure projects – be it railroads or telecommunications – the energy transition and the shift to a hydrogen economy will only succeed through a joint effort between the private sector and the state.

“Hydrogen is seen by a wide variety of circles as an important element in the development of the decarbonization of our economy in the coming years,” Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga told the National Council in 2021. “Switzerland has a lot to offer here.” At the same time, it’s not as simple as it sounds. “We need a strategy,” she added.

This strategy includes reaching an understanding with neighboring countries and the European Union, for example, to define regulatory and technical requirements as well as the tariff framework. While Switzerland’s neighbors have already developed hydrogen strategies up to 2050, Sommaruga pointed out that such a mission statement is still lacking in Switzerland. To encourage sustainable investment in the long term, Switzerland must promptly formulate a clear strategy and swiftly put it into action.

⁠—

Dr. Torsten Kowalski, Vice President, and Beat Goetz, Global Head of Client Solutions, both work at Energy Infrastructure Partners in Zurich.

Managing partners acquire Credit Suisse’s remaining stake in Energy Infrastructure Partners

  • Energy Infrastructure Partners AG co-founders and managing partners acquire Credit Suisse AG’s 30% stake in EIP, strengthening independence amid global expansion
  • Credit Suisse remains an important partner for raising and managing client capital in the Swiss market

ZURICH, October 21, 2022 — Energy Infrastructure Partners’ managing partners have acquired Credit Suisse AG’s 30% stake in Energy Infrastructure Partners AG, or EIP.

The increase in management control comes as EIP, a leading infrastructure investor focused on the energy transition, continues to grow and expand globally. EIP began in 2014 as a joint venture with Credit Suisse and since 2020 has earned licenses to operate independently as an asset and fund manager in Switzerland and Luxembourg. More recently the company has expanded its investment activity and client offering globally.

Consolidating EIP’s shareholder group around its co-founders and managing partners further strengthens the company’s independence and reinforces its foundation amid this global expansion.

Continued partnership amid global expansion

Following the transaction, Credit Suisse will remain an important partner for EIP through bespoke vehicles serving Swiss pension funds. The transaction will neither affect EIP’s ongoing investment or asset management activity nor existing vehicles.

“Increasing our stake in the business underlines our firm belief in EIP’s team, culture and strategy as well as our strong commitment to our clients,” said Dr. Dominik Bollier, EIP’s co-founder and managing partner.

“This strategic step enables EIP to pursue our ambitious growth plans in times of strong demand for energy infrastructure, which has become more important than ever in today’s world,” added Roland Dörig, EIP’s co-founder and managing partner.

About Energy Infrastructure Partners AG 

Energy Infrastructure Partners AG is a Switzerland-based manager of collective assets focused on long-term equity investments in high-quality, large-scale renewables and system-critical energy infrastructure assets. Our strategy and investment horizon align with the lifetime of the underlying assets and generate visible cash flows. With over CHF 5 billion under management, EIP leverages an extensive industry network, broad transaction experience and partnerships with leading energy companies and the public sector to develop and manage investment solutions for institutional investors globally. EIP’s investor base includes pension funds, insurance companies and large family offices, who are increasingly interested in contributing to security of the energy supply as a pathway to create positive economic, ecological and social developments, and whose long-term funding needs closely match the energy infrastructure asset class.

Media contact

[email protected]

EIP to invest in second German offshore wind farm, Iberdrola’s Wikinger

  • Energy Infrastructure Partners reaches agreement to acquire 49% stake in Iberdrola offshore wind farm with 350 megawatts of capacity in the Baltic Sea
  • Agreement builds on EIP expertise in offshore wind and further increases access to Germany’s highly attractive feed-in tariff regime across client portfolios


ZURICH, September 14, 2022
— Energy Infrastructure Partners, a leading infrastructure investor focused on the global energy transition, has reached an agreement on behalf of its clients to take a 49% stake in Iberdrola S.A.’s Wikinger offshore wind farm.

Wikinger operates under Germany’s feed-in tariff regime, which the country launched to spur clean energy investments and has since closed to new projects. The scheme offers a guaranteed price for all electricity produced by the Wikinger wind farm through 2037.

Unlike other fixed-price offtake arrangements, the wind farm and other assets in the scheme can sell the power they produce at market prices whenever they exceed the tariff.

Partnership with global leader in the renewable energy movement

Iberdrola entered the German market by building Wikinger, which began operations in 2018. Germany has since become a focus market for the Spanish multinational, which has built more than two decades of experience in renewable energy and is on track to amass 60 gigawatts of installed carbon-free generation capacity globally by 2025. Iberdrola will remain Wikinger’s majority shareholder and continue providing operation and maintenance services.

“Opportunities to join global leaders like Iberdrola as investment partners in a wind farm of this caliber – and with access to one of the most attractive regulatory schemes in the world – do not come around that often,” said Roland Dörig, EIP’s co-founder and managing partner. “It’s an especially proud day for our investors and another important moment in our growth story.”

Leveraging expertise in offshore wind

“It’s an honor to partner with Iberdrola, a pioneer and undisputed leader in the offshore wind industry,” said Peter Schümers, EIP’s co-head of Investments. “Adding a second offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea allows us to continue leveraging our expertise with this technology while enhancing diversification across our clients’ portfolios.”

Since it entered operation, Wikinger’s 70 turbines have contributed 350 megawatts in capacity of carbon-free electricity to Germany’s green energy ambitions, enough to power about 350,000 German homes, according to an Iberdrola analysis.

EIP manages a stake in the adjacent Arkona wind farm with 378 megawatts of capacity in partnership with RWE AG following a 2020 investment.

About Energy Infrastructure Partners AG 

Energy Infrastructure Partners AG is a Switzerland-based manager of collective assets focused on long-term equity investments in high-quality, large-scale renewables and system-critical energy infrastructure assets. Our strategy and investment horizon align with the lifetime of the underlying assets and generate visible cash flows. With over CHF 5 billion under management, EIP leverages an extensive industry network, broad transaction experience and partnerships with leading energy companies and the public sector to develop and manage investment solutions for institutional investors globally. EIP’s investor base includes pension funds, insurance companies and large family offices, who are increasingly interested in contributing to security of the energy supply as a pathway to create positive economic, ecological and social developments, and whose long-term funding needs closely match the energy infrastructure asset class.

Media contact

[email protected]

Energy Infrastructure Partners receives AIFM license, expands client offering

Luxembourg, July 22, 2022 – Energy Infrastructure Partners has secured authorization from Luxembourg’s financial supervisor to operate as an Alternative Investment Fund Manager, the latest step in strategic growth in investments supporting the conversion and expansion of the global energy system.

The Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF), which is responsible for supervising Luxembourg’s financial sector, has granted Energy Infrastructure Partners’ Luxembourg subsidiary a license as an Alternative Investment Fund Manager (AIFM) following an intensive application process.

Starting now Energy Infrastructure Partners will be able to manage and market alternative investment funds (AIF) in Luxembourg under its own license. The associated cross-border passporting rights will in turn enable the manager to market and distribute its own products across the European Union. Energy Infrastructure Partners will thereby streamline its European activities and further strengthen relationships with European investors.

Stéphanie Pinheiro, Head of Energy Infrastructure Partners Luxembourg, commented, “The AIFM license is the next logical step for Energy Infrastructure Partners. Achieving this milestone enables us to further extend our geographic scope and serve clients anywhere in the European Union now better than ever.”

Dr. Dominik Bollier, co-founder and Managing Partner of Energy Infrastructure Partners, added, “The granting of this license comes at the ideal time as we aim to give our investors access to investment opportunities arising from the conversion and expansion of the global energy system.”

Transitioning the global economy towards a decarbonized energy system while safeguarding the security of supply will require significant levels of investment over the coming decades.

Energy Infrastructure Partners’ new global offering leverages the energy infrastructure expertise of its interdisciplinary team, comprising 70 experts across its offices in Zurich and Luxembourg. Its hands-on investment approach targets long-term, direct investments into high-quality, large-scale renewables and system-critical energy infrastructure with attractive, stable cash flows. Energy Infrastructure Partners works with reputable industrial partners and the public sector, where environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters are thoroughly analyzed and managed.

Constructed in a diversified fashion around one of the most resilient asset classes – and focused on critical subsectors like renewable energy, energy transmission and distribution, power system flexibility and energy storage – the offering is designed to give investors real asset–backed cash flows for decades.

Please direct enquiries to [email protected]

Energy Infrastructure Partners AG
Energy Infrastructure Partners AG (EIP) is a Switzerland-based manager of collective assets focused on high-quality, large-scale renewables and system-critical energy infrastructure assets. With over CHF 4 billion under management, EIP leverages an extensive industry network, broad transaction experience and close partnerships with energy suppliers and the public sector in order to develop and manage investment solutions for institutional investors globally. These clients include pension funds, insurance companies and large family offices who are increasingly interested in contributing to security of the energy supply as a pathway to create positive economic, ecological and social developments. Pension funds in particular appreciate investment opportunities that generate long-term, visible cash flows – a trademark of energy infrastructure and a profile that matches their need to fund the retirement income of their members.