Your Infra Network
2024 has been another milestone year for the data center industry. Records were broken for mergers and acquisitions at the top end of the market, and numerous smaller deals indicated interesting trends within the wider industry. Here are the biggest and most notable deals of the year in the industry.
The French Ministry of Industry and Energy has awarded the first two commercial floating wind farms in the Mediterranean. The first, located near Narbonne, over 25 km off the coast between Agde and Port-La Nouvelle, will be developed by the Ocean Winds and Éolien en Mer Participation consortium. The second, off Fos-sur-Mer, has been entrusted to Éoliennes Méditerranée Grand Large, owned by EDF Renouvelables and Maple Power. Each farm will have a capacity of 250 MW, with a potential extension to 500 MW. The winners have committed to recycling the turbines, allocating 10% of services to SMEs, providing at least €10 million for participatory financing, and mobilizing 400,000 hours for professional integration.
This initiative is a continuation of their infrastructure debt platform, which reached 20 billion euros in cumulative investments by February 2022. Since its launch in 2012, this platform has financed over 100 projects in 20 countries, covering diverse sectors such as renewable energies, telecommunications and transport. Notable projects include Ireland's longest bridge and one of Chile's largest solar power plants. This new strategy is designed to reinforce AllianzGI's commitment to financing infrastructure projects that are vital to the global economy.
Proximus Luxembourg Infrastructure owns and manages 267 mobile tower assets, supporting Proximus Luxembourg's mobile operations under the Tango and Proximus NXT brands. This acquisition will enable InfraRed to strengthen its position in the telecommunications infrastructure sector in Luxembourg, leveraging the expertise of the current management team to expand the tower portfolio in response to growing customer demands. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025, subject to regulatory approvals. Read more
EQT launched a new energy transition strategy by acquiring ju:niz Energy, a German company specializing in the development and operation of battery energy storage systems. The EQT Transition Infrastructure strategy aims to invest in companies driving the shift toward clean energy and a more circular, resource-efficient economy. The investments will focus on regions including North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific, targeting sectors such as electrification, EV charging infrastructure, electric heat pumps, advanced recycling, and battery energy storage systems. The acquisition of ju:niz Energy, based in Aschheim, Germany, marks the first transaction under this strategy. EQT plans to provide capital and expertise to help ju:niz Energy expand its operations and support the clean energy transition. This initiative highlights EQT’s commitment to investing in sustainable solutions and contributing to a decarbonized, climate-resilient future. Read more
The iliad Group and InfraVia – a leading independent private equity firm in Europe - have entered into exclusive discussions to form a partnership aimed at developing OpCore into a major European hyperscale data center platform. As part of the transaction, InfraVia, through its infrastructure funds, will acquire a 50% equity stake in OpCore, which is valued at an enterprise value of €860m, marking a significant milestone in the Company’s growth and strategic development. Read press release
BSmart, media partner of the Paris infraweek, led a series of interviews with the inaugural day key speakers. Get more insights: BSmart videos
La huitième édition de Paris Infraweek, organisée par Paris Europlace et le ministère de l'Économie et des Finances et dont CFNEWS Infra est partenaire, a vu la place s'interroger sur les nouvelles conditions de marché, le ralentissement du M&A, l'arrivée de nouveaux segments dans la classe d'actifs ou encore l'adaptation au changement climatique....suite
One more week before the 2024 Paris Infraweek set to kick-off on Monday, November 4. Final agenda and speaker line-up of the inaugural day dedicated to the role of infrastructure in the global decarbonization, are available online.
KKR, acquires 25% stake in Enilive, a biofuel unit, from Eni for $3.4bn. Enilive aims to provide progressively decarbonized services and products in support of a sustainability-driven mobility transformation.
Cordiant Digital Infrastructure Limited acquires and merges DCU Invest NV and Proximus Group’s data center business, securing a 47.5% stake in the combined entity for €92.3 million.
Meridiam has finalized the acquisition of LISEA, the company managing high-speed rail infrastructure. Upon completion, Vinci Concessions will hold 42.045% of LISEA's capital, Meridiam 41.945%, with the remaining shares held by CDC.