Vortex Energy achieves $200m first close for fourth fund

Global renewable energy platform Vortex Energy has reached first close of $200m (including a $25m conditional commitment) for its fourth fund.

Vortex Energy IV, anchored by EFG Hermes and Abu Dhabi sovereign institutional investors and family offices, among others, was established in Abu Dhabi Global Markets (ADGM) where the team will be based and will work alongside Vortex Energy’s existing team in London.

Vortex Energy IV will target all energy transition verticals, including generation (utility scale solar PV, on/offshore wind, hydropower, biomass, distributed generation), storage, EV charging facilities, as well as supply- and demand-side energy services.

The fund scope covers the entire asset lifecycle including operating plants, IPPs, development companies, greenfield and commercial and industrial solutions. It is focused on developed and developing European countries, North America, Latin America and Australia, a statement said.

Since its establishment in 2015, Vortex Energy, the platform managed by the private equity arm of EFG Hermes, has been pursuing renewable energy investments, completing the full cycle of investment and divestment of c. 822 MWs of wind and solar energy assets in Europe.

In 2020 alone, the renewables share of all annual power capacity additions reached 82 per cent compared to 15 per cent a decade earlier, a statement said.

Karim Moussa, head of Private Equity and Asset Management at EFG Hermes and CEO of Vortex Energy said: “We are very excited about the launch of Vortex Energy IV; the global opportunity is clear and tangible, with renewable energy becoming mainstream. We expect with more net-zero policies and major decarbonising initiatives to see additions in renewable energy generation of c. 2 TW and investments of c. $3 trillion by 2030 globally.

“I am confident that with our track record of deploying more than $1.6bn in European assets and returning double-digit IRRs, we will be able to grow a substantial asset base for our fund investors. We are also excited to continue building our business and investor base to reach our target size for the fund of $750m within the coming two years.”

Bakr Abdel-Wahab, CIO of Vortex Energy, said: “We will employ an active investment strategy for Vortex Energy IV, looking to support developers and independent power producers (IPPs) to reach their full potential, in addition to investing in operating assets in countries that offer attractive returns. The landscape is changing and energy transition investments are becoming more complex compared to traditional assets with long-term contracted cash-flow profiles. With our skill set and experience, I am confident that we have the tools in place to gain a further foothold in the industry. We are already looking at a very interesting pipeline of deals and companies worth c. $2bn in Europe and the US.”

Chimera Capital acted as strategic advisor to Vortex Energy in relation to ADGM. White &Case provided legal advisory, while PwC lent structuring services and Apex administration support, the statement added.