The German Government has made several steps to promote green energy investments and reduce the country’s reliance on fossil fuels, which has become increasingly important due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. The Coalition Government made several commitments to increase green energy production when they took charge in 2021. The changes will propel the country toward achieving its 2030 target for 80% of energy to be produced by renewable sources. In order to do so, several large-scale investments in green energy infrastructure, and in this article we will outline some of the key German investors.
1) Prime Capital – Wind energy investor based in Frankfurt
Prime Capital is an independent asset manager and financial service provider which specialize in institutional clients. The German group was founded in 2006 and has offices in Frankfurt, London, and Luxembourg with over 120 employees. As of February 2023, the group has over €4.3bn of assets under management and €8bn under administration. Prime Capital manages an investment fund that focuses on Green Energy Infrastructure, which the group hopes will cement its position as a key player in the European green energy transition. In September 2022, the group acquired a 200MW Finnish project in cooperation with CPC Finland. The 200MW power-to-X (PtX) is scheduled to become active in 2025, which will focus on green hydrogen and also consists of a methane plant. In total, Prime Capital has amassed a 1GW portfolio of PtX projects in Finland, 600MW of this will be provided by CPC Finland.
2) Aquila Capital – Wind, solar, and hydro investor based in Hamburg
Aquila Capital is a global investment and asset development company that focuses on clean energy and green infrastructure. As of February 2023, the group manages over €13bn worth of assets worldwide. The German group first became carbon neutral in 2006 and since then has committed to becoming carbon negative. The group was founded in 2001 and since then has acquired a portfolio consisting of wind, solar, and hydro projects with an installed capacity of 11.4GW. Overall, the group boasts 1.7 million square meters of sustainable real estate and green logistic projects which have either been completed or are currently under development. In February 2021, the group acquired a 500MW solar portfolio in Spain as part of a deal with Viridi and Solar Ambition. Aquila Capital will work with the solar developers who will oversee the construction of the portfolio.
3) Meag Munich – Wind, solar, hydro, biomass, and tidal investor based in Munich
Meag Munich Meag is a German asset manager which has clients located across Europe, Asia, and North America. Currently, the group manages assets that are worth over €305bn across all asset classes. Part of their portfolio consists of green infrastructure assets, particularly solar, battery, and wind projects. Currently, the group has over 1GW of solar and wind projects under management in Europe and the US. The group aims to expand its current portfolio and the acquisition of a 310MW solar and 50MW battery project in California represents a key component of this growth. The group acquired the Californian projects from global green infrastructure developer, EDF Renewables. In Europe, the group is also keen to expand and continue to do so through the acquisition of a 206MW portfolio from Spanish developer Capital Energy. The 206MW portfolio consists of wind and solar projects located in Soria, Albacete, and Cuenca which will become operational between 2022 and 2024.
Image Source: Alex Eckerman (14.02.2023)
