UK-based Actis, a leading global investor in sustainable infrastructure, has acquired a 100% stake in Stride Climate Investments, a solar generation asset portfolio in India, from a fund managed by Macquarie Asset Management.
The deal sees Actis take charge of Stride’s 371MW (414MWp) portfolio of operating solar PV assets spread across 21 projects in 7 states, the majority of which are concentrated in the state of Gujarat. The Stride portfolio, which has close to a decade of demonstrated track record, features long-term pay-as-produce power purchase agreements with a diversified pool of off-takers, from central and state governments as well as the private sector, and a distributed asset base.
"Actis has deployed more than US$7.1 billion in Asia since inception across different strategies and, as a leading energy investor, has built or operated more than 8GW of installed capacity in the region, including more than 5.5GW of renewables," the company said in a statement.
With this acquisition, Stride joins BluPine Energy and Athena Renewables to become Actis’ third current energy generation platform in India.
Adrian Mucalov, Partner, Head of Long Life Infrastructure at Actis, said: “The acquisition of Stride aligns nicely with Actis’ long life infrastructure investment approach. The business has a 10-year operating history, compelling cash generation and low existing leverage. We believe Stride offers strong prospects to deliver cash yields to investors while also being in a dynamic, rapidly growing market.”
Abhishek Bansal, Partner, Energy Infrastructure at Actis, commented: “Actis has a long experience of successful investment in the Indian renewable energy sector, exemplified by Ostro Energy and Sprng Energy previously as well as by our current renewables platforms. The Indian economy is continuing to grow rapidly and its energy transition is accelerating apace, with the government aiming to secure 50 percent of the country’s electricity from renewables by 2030. This environment is therefore creating ample opportunities, especially for an investor such as Actis with expertise in driving efficiency and creating value in this market.”
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