As of September 1st , StartGreen Capital and Evenpar form a partnership to finance infrastructural renewable energy projects in emerging markets, with an initial focus on the African Energy Transition.
Emerging markets present an attractive potential for impact investments, leveraging on the increased energy demand, optimizing the circular use of available feedstock and utilizing EU technology. According to International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)*, the continent’s energy demand is set to double by 2040. Therefore, the partnership focuses on investment opportunities which produce efficient decentralized energy by utilizing primarily waste-recycling, waste-to-energy, biogas and biofuel technologies alongside other technologies.
Investment opportunities in Africa
Peter Nyeko, CEO Mandulis Energy (an Ugandan renewable energy project developer) highlights:
“The energy transition will be a vital part of the infrastructural growth in Africa, especially East Africa. It represents investment opportunities for projects with standard technology and investors who want to combine returns with impact realisation. This market is not over-crowded and many East African industrials and cities struggle with similar challenges.”
New partnership
StartGreen Capital is one of the largest Impact Fund Managers in the Netherlands with over €450 million AuM and believes that the sustainable economy transition is initiated by entrepreneurs with vision, drive and guts.
Evenpar is a project development specialist with in-depth understanding of project dynamics, financial structuring, technology and emerging markets.
Solid financial returns
The targeted projects deploy proven and maintainable technology on the back of long-term supply agreements and creditworthy off-take contracts (industrial or government backed). Accordingly, this approach minimizes technology, feedstock supply and off-take risks, resulting in strong operational performance and creating long term stable cashflows. This strategy combined with blended finance structuring leads to solid financial returns.
Pjotr Schade – Managing Partner Evenpar Investment:
“This partnership is a powerhouse for impact investing in emerging markets since it combines the best of both worlds. StartGreen Capital is really the champion in impact fund management, with its strong track-record and its entrepreneurial approach to opportunities. The partnership allows Evenpar to focus on its core competence, being developing & investing in stable return high impact projects whilst being supported by StartGreen Capital fund management. This provides the investor with competitive returns and the assurance of fund stability.”
Impact on Sustainable Development Goals
The partnership invests with the intention to generate financial returns as well as create social and environmental impact. This is done by combining financial and investment/technical knowledge to finance and provide project development support, technical assistance, technology development and schooling to utilize effective proven technology to efficiently process low value available feedstock input into high value and much needed clean energy production in Africa. All together this results in positive outcomes for SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities).
Text by: Brigitte Buissink
Evenpar Fund 