Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners, a dedicated investment manager focused on energy transition infrastructure, has successfully closed the Quinbrook Renewables Impact Fund (QRIF), securing more than $A1.2 billion in investor commitments. This impressive sum significantly surpasses the initial target of GBP 500 million.
Rory Quinlan, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Quinbrook, emphasized the strategic significance of UK power infrastructure assets in diversifying portfolios and their correlation with GDP. He stressed that this achievement is aligned with the UK Government’s objectives, aiming for a decarbonized power system by 2035 and advancing the ‘Levelling Up’ agenda.
The Quinbrook Renewables Impact Fund (QRIF) stands as Quinbrook’s third managed fund, reflecting strong alignment with the UK Government’s green energy goals. The UK’s pursuit of a 100 percent decarbonized power system presents a vast investment opportunity, amounting to GBP 375 billion, fostering climate risk resilience, industrial decarbonization, energy affordability, and the creation of highly skilled ‘green jobs’.
The fund’s diversified portfolio encompasses long-term inflation-linked contracts with reputable counterparts like National Grid and the UK Government. It includes ventures like the Pathfinder program, the Contract for Difference regime, the Capacity Market, and inflation-linked power purchase agreements with prominent UK corporations. Moreover, it is underpinned by investment in one of the UK’s largest solar and battery storage projects.
Over 60 percent of the QRIF modelled portfolio is either operational, under construction, or set for completion soon. Following construction and asset operation, over 85 percent of the portfolio’s cash flows are expected to be linked to UK inflation rates.
Noteworthy investments within the QRIF portfolio include the Cleve Hill solar and storage project, the Rassau Synchronous Condenser, the Thistle critical grid support portfolio, the Uskmouth 230MW battery storage project, and Habitat Energy, a leading UK battery optimization platform utilizing advanced machine learning and algorithmic capabilities.
Mark Burrows, Quinbrook’s Head of Europe, Capital Formation, and Investor Engagement, noted the strong support for QRIF’s investment strategy, driven by societal will, bipartisan political imperatives, and fundamental economics propelling the decarbonization of power.