Macquarie-led consortium completes acquisition of the Green Investment Bank

Edinburgh/London, 18 August 2017 — Further to the announcement of 20 April 2017, a Macquarie-led consortium comprising Macquarie Group Limited (Macquarie), Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund 5 (MEIF5) and Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) has successfully completed the acquisition of the UK Green Investment Bank Limited1 (Green Investment Bank) from HM Government for £2.3 billion.

Under Macquarie’s ownership, the Green Investment Bank will remain one of the leading investors in green infrastructure in the UK and Europe, with added scope to further expand internationally. Macquarie will adopt the Green Investment Bank as its primary vehicle for principal investment in green projects in the UK and Europe and will consolidate its own existing UK and European principal investment business into that vehicle.

Macquarie Capital, the advisory, capital markets and principal investment arm of Macquarie Group, and the Green Investment Bank have together led over £15 billion of investment in the UK across a broad range of renewables technologies. These include: energy efficiency, bioenergy, energy from waste, onshore and offshore wind, low carbon transport, solar and tidal energy and energy storage.

The Green Investment Bank, under Macquarie ownership, will work together with the Green Purposes Company Trustees to ensure all investments are aligned with its green purpose. This will include publishing an annual report, featuring details of its green performance, and holding an annual industry day for stakeholders; the first of which will be held prior to the end of 2017.

As previously announced, Macquarie has committed to the Green Investment Bank’s target of leading £3 billion of investment in green energy projects over the next three years, operating in accordance with its established green purpose.

In line with these commitments and in order to pursue the Green Investment Bank’s vision to invest in green infrastructure internationally and positively contribute to the globalisation of the renewables industry, the Green Investment Bank will now operate under the name Green Investment Group. This is necessary to overcome the legal and regulatory barriers to using the term “Bank” in many international markets.

As part of Macquarie, the Green Investment Group is now one of Europe’s largest teams of green energy investment specialists, with expertise in project finance and development, construction, investment and asset management of green energy infrastructure. The team will continue to be based in Edinburgh and London.

The Green Investment Group will be led by Edward Northam, working closely with Macquarie Capital’s senior leadership team. Mr. Northam joined the Green Investment Bank in 2012 and was most recently its Head of Investment Banking, leading the Green Investment Bank’s investment origination and execution activities. Mr. Northam’s appointment follows a career spanning almost 25 years in renewable energy and infrastructure development. Shaun Kingsbury will now step down from his role as Chief Executive Officer and will not join Macquarie Group. Mr. Kingsbury played an important role in establishing the Green Investment Bank and has provided valued support throughout the transition period.

Daniel Wong, Head of Macquarie Capital Europe, said: “Combined with Macquarie’s resources as the world’s largest infrastructure investor, the Green Investment Group will be uniquely placed to continue in its pioneering role in the world's transition to a low-carbon economy. We look forward to growing the Green Investment Group’s capacity and its contribution to the UK and global renewables markets.”

Lord Smith of Kelvin, Chair of the Green Investment Bank up to the completion of the transaction, said: “Today marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the Green Investment Bank. Under Macquarie ownership, the business will have the support it needs to deliver a growing green impact, at home in the UK and now abroad.”

“I'm confident that with this support the Green Investment Bank, nurtured so well through its early years by the UK Government, will go on to bigger and better things.

“If the Paris Agreement is to be delivered we need to see mature green infrastructure delivered quickly and at scale, alongside the rapid development of emerging technologies. To achieve this the world needs committed, innovative, specialist, experienced investors with access to deep and flexible pools of capital. The Green Investment Group will now have the platform to meet that market need and fulfil its full potential.”

Edward Northam, Head of the Green Investment Group, said: “This new chapter provides the best of both worlds: a deep sector specialism coupled with access to a global platform and deep pools of capital. We have ambitious plans for the growth of the Green Investment Group, starting with a continuation of our role as a leading investor in the UK and building on that through an additional international focus.”

Mark Dooley, Head of Energy and Infrastructure, Macquarie Capital Europe, said: “In the Green Investment Bank, we found a real depth of expertise and decades of experience that will underpin our collective aspirations in renewables investment. Taking the Green Investment Group to the next stage of its evolution coincides with many green technologies competing commercially with traditional forms of power generation without the need for subsidies.”

As previously announced, the Green Investment Bank will continue to collaborate with the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in the joint venture UK Climate Investments LLP (UKCI). The Green Investment Group remains committed to UKCI and its vision to invest in green infrastructure in selected developing countries.

The transaction is not material to Macquarie Group’s earnings and financial position.