LONDON, UK: SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust plc (SEEIT) has agreed to acquire a 100% interest in Värtan Gas Stockholm AB (VGSAB), the ultimate owner of the established, operational and regulated gas distribution network for Stockholm, Sweden, involving an equity investment of approximately £100 million.
The VGSAB group owns and operates Stockholm’s regulated gas grid, the majority of which is sourced from locally produced biogas (c.70%). The Group supplies and distributes to over 58,000 residential, commercial, industrial, transportation and real estate customers in Stockholm.
It is an essential infrastructure service that helps to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions by reducing and reusing waste gases both at the point of production, for example at municipal waste water treatment plants and, at the point of use, through the displacement of natural gas in buildings and diesel in transport.
SEEIT intends to work towards increasing the proportion of green gas in the network to 100% over time. The grid is an essential component of an integrated system, aligned with national and regional strategies to attain carbon neutrality by 2040.
The Group’s revenues, which are primarily regulated, are predominantly based on fixed tariffs with relatively low sensitivity to customer demand or consumption. The Investment Manager believes that, in addition to existing revenues, there are opportunities for growth, for example from serving new transport customers, as commercial and municipal vehicle fleets continue to switch to cleaner fuels, including biogas. In addition, there are opportunities to deliver new energy and infrastructure services to customers by developing the network and through vertical integration.
The investment is expected to meet and exceed SEEIT’s total returns targets and to further support its progressive dividend policy.
The acquisition will be funded from existing cash reserves and debt facilities, which include the capital raised in the recent equity fundraising and a £30 million short term acquisition facility that has been added to SEEIT’s current £40 million revolving credit facility. VGSAB’s existing project debt finance facilities, which are equivalent to c.£26 million, will remain in place.
Completion of the acquisition is expected in the coming weeks, after satisfaction of certain customary conditions and consents.
Commenting on the acquisition, Jonathan Maxwell, CEO and Founder of Sustainable Development Capital LLP, said: “SEEIT is making an investment in an important infrastructure asset for the City of Stockholm. It provides an attractive opportunity for SEEIT to invest in an established energy network that helps with greenhouse gas emission reductions and for SEEIT to help make it greener. The operational investment offers the opportunity for an attractive level of income and for significant growth over the medium to long term. We are pleased to agree this investment immediately following our successful fund-raising.”
SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust plc is the first UK listed company of its kind to invest exclusively in the energy efficiency sector. Since IPO, SEEIT has now made nine investments and commitments in a diversified portfolio of distributed generation and energy efficiency projects totalling c.£500 million.
The projects are primarily located in the UK, Europe and North America in broadly equal proportions and include, inter alia, a portfolio of cogeneration assets in Spain, a portfolio of recycled energy and cogeneration projects in the United States and, most recently, investments and commitments in operational and construction assets in the UK and Singapore.
The Company aims to deliver shareholders value through its investment in a diversified portfolio of energy efficiency projects which are driven by the opportunity to deliver lower cost, cleaner and more reliable energy solutions to end users of energy.
The Company is targeting an attractive total return for shareholders of 7-8 per cent. per annum (net of fees and expenses and by reference to the initial issue price of £1.00 per Ordinary Share), with a stable dividend income, capital preservation and the opportunity for capital growth. The Company is targeting a dividend of 5.5p per share in respect of the financial year to 31 March 2021. SEEIT’s last published NAV was 101.0p per share as at 31 March 2020. www.seeitplc.com
SEEIT’s investment manager is Sustainable Development Capital LLP (“SDCL”), an investment firm established in 2007, with a proven track record of investment in energy efficiency and decentralised generation projects in the UK, Continental Europe, North America and Asia.
SDCL is headquartered in London and also operates worldwide from offices in New York, Dublin, Madrid, Hong Kong and Singapore. SDCL is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority.
