Susi Partners, South Pole Group launch EUR250mn energy fund for SE Asia
A EUR250-million renewable energy fund for Southeast Asia has been jointly launched by Swiss infrastructure investment firm Susi Partners AG and environmental solutions company South Pole Group.
The fund will invest in up to 30 renewable energy projects throughout the region, focusing on Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, channeling funds secured from institutional investors.
To lead the fund, they have appointed Edgare Kerkwijk as managing director. Kerkwijk has held a number of roles in the renewable energy and banking sectors, including with Rabobank and State Street in banking, and Indo Wind Power Holdings, Asia Green Capital and the Asia Wind Energy Association on the renewables side.
The fund will have a ten-year lifespan, targeting solar photo-voltaic (PV) and wind farms, hydropower plants, behind-the-meter solar PV, and energy efficiency retrofits on public and private large-scale infrastructure.
“The clean energy landscape in emerging Asia represents an exceptionally interesting opportunity for institutional investors as well as impact-driven investors, such as family offices, to participate in the region’s growing demand for renewable energy infrastructure,” says Renat Heuberger, CEO of the South Pole Group.
Tobias Reichmuth, CEO and Founder of Susi Partners, adds: “Institutional Investors can now engage in substantiated energy transition investing in renewable energy assets and energy efficiency retrofits with attractive risk-return profiles. With nearly a decade’s experience in renewable energy infrastructure investment and a strong local partner with a unique project pipeline, we are ideally positioned to capture the investment opportunities the Southeast Asian market offers.”
Edgare Kerkwijk says that the renewable energy market in the region is at an early stage and has “relatively low penetration” from investors”.
Southeast Asia will need significant investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency to meet the demands of the various countries in the region in order to make their economies sustainable and to align with global sustainability targets, he adds.
