26 September 2024
Downing Renewables &
Infrastructure Trust plc
(the "Company" or "DORE")
Potential sale of Swedish
wind farm
The Board of DORE is pleased to
announce it has entered into exclusive discussions in relation to
the sale of DORE's entire interest in Gabrielsberget wind farm in
Sweden ("Gabrielsberget").
The offer price is at a small
premium to the carrying value as at 30 June 2024 and the
transaction is anticipated to complete in Q4 2024, returning c.14%
of NAV to the Company.
DORE purchased Gabrielsberget in
January 2022 for a total consideration of £19.8 million. A series
of contractual and operational improvements, including most
recently a 5-year extension to the operating lease which resulted
in a £4.4 million valuation uplift, have been the principal drivers
behind a c.50% uplift on DORE's investment as at 30 June
2024.
In the Manager's view now is the
right time to capitalise on these value enhancements and the sale
proceeds will be used to repay fully DORE's revolving credit
facility and to fund further growth and re-investment in the
Company's hydropower portfolio. This will include additions to the
portfolio as well as supporting ongoing revenue optimisation
projects. The sale of Gabrielsberget also makes available
additional capital to continue DORE's share buyback
programme.
Tom
Williams, Partner, Head of Energy and Infrastructure at Downing
LLP, commented: "It is testament to
the expertise of our in-house asset management team that we have
secured the marked increase in the asset's value and now have the
opportunity to realise it. This transaction will place the Company
in a favourable position to capitalise on an attractive pipeline of
internal and external investment opportunities in our continuing
efforts to increase quantity and quality of returns for our
shareholders."
DORE will provide further
information to shareholders on the sale process in due course. The
Company is in exclusive discussions in relation to the potential
sale of Gabrielsberget and there is no guarantee that the sale will
be completed. The proposed transaction is subject to formal Board
approval.
ENDS
The information contained within
this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside
information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU)
No. 596/2014 as amended by regulation 11 of the Market Abuse
(Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019/310. Upon the publication of
this announcement via Regulatory Information Service, this inside
information is now considered to be in the public
domain.
LEI: 2138004JHBJ7RHDYDR62
Contact
Downing - Investment Manager to
the Company
Tom Williams
|
+44 (0)20 3954 9908
|
Singer Capital Markets -
Joint Corporate Broker
Robert Peel, Alaina Wong, Jalini
Kalaravy (Investment Banking)
Sam Greatrex, Alan Geeves, James
Waterlow, William Gumpel (Sales)
|
+44 (0)20 7496 3000
|
Winterflood Securities Limited - Joint Corporate Broker
|
+44 (0)20 3100 0000
|
|
|
Neil Morgan (Corporate
Finance)
Darren Willis, Andrew Marshall
(Sales)
|
|
|
|
Cardew Group - Public relations advisor to the
Company
Tania Wild
Henry Crane
|
+44 (0)20 7930 0777
+44 (0)7425 536 903
+44 (0)7918 207157
DORE@cardewgroup.com
|
About Downing Renewables
& Infrastructure Trust plc
DORE is a closed-end investment
trust that aims to provide investors with an attractive and
sustainable level of income, with an element of capital growth, by
investing in a diversified portfolio of renewable energy and
infrastructure assets in the UK and Northern Europe. DORE has been
awarded the London Stock Exchange's Green Economy Mark in
recognition of its contribution to the global 'Green
Economy'.
The Board classifies DORE as a
sustainable fund with a core objective of accelerating the
transition to net zero through its investments, compiling and
operating a diversified portfolio of renewable energy and
infrastructure assets to help facilitate the transition to a more
sustainable future. The Company believes that this directly
contributes to climate change mitigation.
DORE's strategy, which focuses on
diversification by geography, technology, revenue and project
stage, is designed to increase the stability of revenues and the
consistency of income to shareholders. For further details please
visit www.doretrust.com.
About
Downing
Downing is a responsible investment
manager established in London in 1986. We currently manage £2.1
billion of assets under a broad range of investment mandates across
our funds, investment trusts and tax-efficient products. As a
certified B Corporation, we are focussed on creating a sustainable
future, our key investment areas are renewable energy,
infrastructure, property and healthcare.
Downing has c.80 professionals
dedicated to renewable energy and infrastructure and a proven track
record in renewables. Since 2010, Downing has made more than 200
investments and has over £920 million of assets under management in
this sector.
For further details please visit
www.downing.co.uk
This announcement is not for
publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the
United States of America. This announcement is not an offer of
securities for sale into the United States. The securities referred
to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S.
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold
in the United States, except pursuant to an applicable exemption
from registration. No public offering of securities is being made
in the United States.