The new strategy targets 1 billion euros for its first investment cycle and will be entirely dedicated to the financing of renewable energies.
Ardian, one of the world leaders in private investment, today announces the launch of a new open-ended fund: the Ardian Clean Energy Evergreen Fund (ACEEF). It is designed to give investors the opportunity to increase their presence in the renewable energy and energy transition market, in a long-term industrial approach.
To this end, it is an evergreen fund, the first in Ardian’s Infrastructure activity: its lifespan is not limited in time and it benefits from permanent capital which allows it to support assets on longer investment periods.
It also meets the standards of article 9 of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SDFR) of the European Union, which sets the most demanding social and environmental standards for investment players.
More than half of its €1 billion target has already been invested in a portfolio of twelve solar and wind assets, representing a total capacity of 1 GW in Europe and the Americas. The fund will continue to target proven renewable technologies including solar, wind and hydro, and will also look to other technologies such as biogas, biomass, storage and energy efficiency. The strategy developed for the fund aims in particular at operational optimization in order to develop value creation for all stakeholders. Each investment of the fund can reach up to 150 million euros.
The AXA group is the main investor in the ACEEF fund, which is part of the Group’s ambition to fight against climate change by financing the energy transition. An open fund, it will provide Ardian customers with a permanent solution to support renewable energies, and strengthen its central position in supporting the global energy transition. The launch of ACEEF follows the creation of Hy24, the world’s largest investment platform dedicated to decarbonized hydrogen.
ACEEF’s portfolio will also benefit from Opta, the digital tool developed by Ardian. By collecting and analyzing renewable energy data, Opta is a powerful tool for anticipating production and consumption trends and optimizing the performance of these assets. It also makes it possible to precisely monitor the evolution of market risks, in an environment where support measures for renewables are being reduced.
Mathias Burghardt, member of Ardian’s Executive Committee and head of the infrastructure business, said: “As part of an innovative approach, ACEEF makes it possible to provide the assets it accompanies with capital over the long term in order to accelerate the energetic transition. The fund, managed by a highly qualified team with 15 years of experience and a large network of industry experts, offers our clients a unique platform to invest in the renewable energy sector by adopting an industrial approach. Ardian’s strategy to accelerate the energy transition is more relevant than ever to combat climate change and contribute to energy independence.”
Thanks to its investments made since 2007 within the asset class dedicated to renewable energy, Ardian is a pioneer in the energy transition. Across all funds in its Infrastructure business, the Ardian team already manages 7.6 GW of renewable energy generation capacity in Europe and the Americas.
In the coming months, Ardian’s industrial expertise will be further strengthened: a new Managing Director from a world-leading industrial player in renewable energies will be appointed to head the ACEEF fund.