Ardian launches first open-ended fund dedicated to the energy transition

Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, today announces the launch of a new open-ended fund – Ardian Clean Energy Evergreen Fund (ACEEF).

The fund is Ardian Infrastructure’s first evergreen fund, offering investors the opportunity to grow their exposure to renewables and the energy transition. It is an Article 9 fund under the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and therefore meets the highest social and environmental standards in Europe.

More than half of its €1bn target has already been invested in a seed portfolio of 12 wind and solar assets, totaling 1 GW of capacity in Europe and the Americas. The fund will continue to target mature renewable technologies including solar, wind and hydroelectric, as well as emerging technologies such as biogas, biomass, storage, and energy efficiency. The strategy is focused on operational optimization to maximize value creation. The fund targets up to €150m per individual investment.

The AXA Group is the cornerstone investor of ACEEF, and this partnership perfectly aligns with AXA’s ambition to fight climate change by financing the energy transition. As an open-ended structure, the fund will provide a permanent solution to Ardian’s clients to support renewable energy as part of Ardian’s wider energy transition strategy. The launch of ACEEF follows the creation of Hy24, the world’s largest investment platform focused on clean hydrogen.

ACEEF portfolio will also benefit from Opta, Ardian Infrastructure’s in house digital tool which collects and analyses data from its renewable assets. The platform uses this data to better understand production patterns, identify areas for improvement and optimize asset performance, as well as monitoring revenues at risk.

“ACEEF is a new innovative step to provide long term capital to accelerate the energy transition. The fund, managed by a highly qualified team with a track record spanning 15 years and a large network of industrial experts, offers to our clients a unique platform to operate in the renewable energy sector with an industrial approach. Ardian’s strategy to accelerate the energy transition is more relevant than ever to fight climate change and to contribute to energy independence.” Mathias Burghardt, Head of Ardian Infrastructure and Member of Ardian's Executive Commitee

Ardian has been one of the pioneers in energy transition, having started investing in the renewable asset class since 2007. Across all Ardian Infrastructure Funds, the team already manages more than 7.6GW of heat and renewable energy capacity in Europe and the Americas.

In the coming months, Ardian’s expertise will be further strengthened by the arrival of a new Managing Director from the renewables industry, who will be dedicated to the clean energy platform.