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Zenobē Powers Global Expansion with c.£600 Million Investment from KKR and further c.£270m from Infracapital
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LONDON , Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Zenobē, the international provider of end-to-end solutions in fleet electrification as well as battery storage solutions, today announced that it has secured an investment of c.£600 million from KKR, a leading global investment firm. In addition, a further c.£270 million of equity has been invested by existing shareholder Infracapital . Upon completion of the transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, KKR and Infracapital will become joint majority shareholders in Zenobē. Jera and TEPCO Power Grid will remain as minority, strategic shareholders.
The equity investment, as well as the added expertise and global network KKR brings to the company, will complement Infracapital's presence in Europe and play a crucial role in supporting Zenobē's growth initiatives in the UK, North America , Europe , Australia and New Zealand . The investment will fuel the expansion of the company's fleet electrification and grid-scale battery storage business, accelerating the decarbonisation of fleet transportation and maximising the uptake of renewables.
As governments look to decarbonise, they are increasingly focused on transport emissions. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) , the movement of passengers and freight in road transport is the largest contributor to carbon emissions in the transport sector. Today, Zenobē supports more than 1,000 electric buses, trucks and commercial vehicles worldwide, and has worked with operators to deploy vehicles in over 75 depots ranging from Glasgow and Coventry in the UK to Sydney and Melbourne in Australia.
Funding from the equity investment will significantly expand the number of electric vehicles and charging equipment supported by the company. By 2026, Zenobē aims to support 4,000 electric buses, trucks and commercial vehicles on the road.
With the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicting that renewables will make up 35% of global power generation by 2025 , grid-scale battery storage will play a key role to ensure this power is not wasted. Zenobē currently has c.430MW of contracted grid-scale battery storage in the UK in operation or under construction, including its landmark 100MW battery storage asset at Capenhurst, Cheshire.
This latest equity investment will enable the business to accelerate its offering with the design and construction of two additional battery storage sites across Scotland at Kilmarnock South and Eccles. It will also enable the extension in capacity of the company's battery storage asset at Blackhillock. The site will support the integration of wind power resources into the grid and Zenobē's target to commission c.1.2GW of storage in the UK by 2026. The investment will also back its target to develop an additional 2.5GW of battery energy storage assets in North America and Australia by 2030.
The equity investment is the latest in a series of financial agreements by Zenobē, who have secured around £1.8 billion of equity and debt finance since being established by its three founders Nicholas Beatty , James Basden and Steven Meersman in 2017. Zenobē now employs 230 staff globally. In February this year, the company announced an £235 million agreement of non-recourse project finance debt to fund grid-scale, transmission connected battery storage assets in the UK. In February 2022 , Zenobē secured the world's first private placement platform to support the c.£241 million long term debt financing of fleet vehicles over 15 years from institutions and banks.
The investment by KKR is being made through the firm's global climate strategy, which is part of its $54 billion Infrastructure business that's managed by a team of more than 115 executives globally. Since 2010, KKR has committed more than $40 billion to sustainability-focused investments, including over $30 billion to climate and environmental sustainability investments.
The capital raise follows a year of significant growth for Zenobē. In November 2022 the company announced a £750 million investment into a trio of large battery storage projects in Scotland. With a total capacity of 1GW of storage, the battery projects will help to balance the grid at critical bottlenecks providing clean, affordable, and secure energy when it is needed. The projects are due for completion between 2024 and 2026.
The company has also experienced growth in its EV fleet business as it surpassed the milestone of 50 electric fleet electrification projects around the world. In November 2022 the first 50 all-electric National Express buses took to the roads in Coventry supported by Zenobē's Electric Transport-as-a-Service (ETaaS) solution, with that figure set to grow to 130 e-buses by the end of the year.
ETaaS includes the provision of on-board replacement of batteries, the charging and grid infrastructure system at a depot, with dedicated rapid chargers, and a software platform which helps monitor and optimise energy use, as well as parts and operational support.
In 2022, Zenobē, working with Transgrid and Transit Systems, announced the opening of Australia's largest all-electric bus depot in Leichhardt near Sydney.
Infracapital's investment in Zenobē is a combination of direct equity investment and conversion of a convertible loan note that was put in place in
January 2023 alongside other existing investors.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)'s transport emissions data can be found here.
International Energy Agency predictions for renewables can be found here.
European Commission heavy-duty vehicles figures can be found here.
Zenobē is an EV fleet and grid-scale battery storage specialist, headquartered in the UK. The company began operations in 2017 with three founders and has over the past 6 years increased its staff to >230 FTEs with a wide range of leading skills including electrical engineering, software development, computer sciences and financing. It now operates in Europe and Australasia and is expanding into North America . Zenobē has 430MW of battery storage in operation or under construction with another 1.2GW of projects in advanced development in the UK which equates to circa 20% market share forecast by 2026. It has around 25% market share of the UK EV bus sector and c.1000 electric vehicles supported globally. The company is the largest owner and operator of EV buses in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Zenobe's services are supported by market leading financing capability. This has included completing and drawing down against the Fleet private placement in February 2022 which raised over £240 million long term debt for the financing of Fleet customers, principally bus operators in the UK, over up to 16 years. This also included the financing of grid-scale batteries completed in February 2023 which raised £635m of debt including an accordion for the development of Zenobē's grid-scale battery storage assets in Scotland.
For more information, please visit www.zenobe.com/ or follow on LinkedIn.
KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management as well as capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR's insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR's website at www.kkr.com and on X (formerly Twitter) @KKR_Co.
Infracapital invests in, builds and manages a diverse range of essential infrastructure to meet the changing needs of society and support long-term economic growth. We take an active role in all of our investments, whether nascent or large, to fulfil their potential and ensure they are adaptable and resilient. Our approach creates value for our investors, as we target investments with the scope for stable and sustainable growth. Our portfolio companies work closely with the communities where they are based, to the benefit of all stakeholders. Infracapital is well positioned to deliver the significant investment required to help build the future. The founder-led team of experienced specialists has worked with more than 60 companies around Europe and has raised and managed over €7.8 billion of client capital across six funds. Infracapital is part of M&G Plc, an international savings and investments business, managing money for around 5 million retail customers and more than 800 institutional clients in 28 markets. Total assets under management are £342 billion (as of 31 December 2022).
https://www.infracapital.co.uk
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