A consortium led by APG has acquired a 50% interest in Stockholm Exergi Holding AB. With close to 10 TWh in yearly energy sales and an annual turnover of almost €700 million, Stockholm Exergi (700 employees) is the largest supplier of district heating in Sweden. The company is an industry leader in sustainability and has the ambition to become climate positive by 2025.
The consortium also comprises of PGGM, Alecta, Keva and AXA Investment Managers. APG has acquired the 20% stake on behalf of pension fund client ABP, which wants to further shape its climate- and responsible investing ambitions. The consortium has bought the 50% stake from the Finnish energy group Fortum. Stockholm Exergi's 800,000 customers are concentrated in the Stockholm municipality. The remaining 50% stake is owned by the City of Stockholm.
Standout
Carlo Maddalena, Senior Portfolio Manager at APG: “The Stockholm Exergi investment is an excellent fit with APG’s infrastructure strategy and with its strong sustainability focus, it is at the core of the energy transition.”
According to Maddalena, Stockholm Exergi's fundamentals are very strong. “High temperature-driven heating requirements in Sweden, an AAA-rated country, cause district heating consumption per capita to be amongst the highest in the European Union. This makes district heating a nationally important core infrastructure for Sweden. In addition, Stockholm Exergi also supplies electricity to the local grid, which resolves many of its current capacity issues. The transaction was a unique opportunity to acquire a leading sizeable utility business in Scandinavia. Investments of this quality are scarce in the region."
International role model
The company's sustainability goals are very ambitious. "Stockholm Exergi has transformed itself to a fossil-free energy supplier and wants to become climate positive by 2025. To this end, it has already developed a number of projects, which are still at an early stage. This strategy is aligned to the commitment of the City of Stockholm towards becoming an international sustainability role model. As such, Stockholm Exergi plays an important role in these local – and national – climate ambitions."
The APG deal team that worked on the transaction was composed of Carlo Maddalena, Bart Saenen, Jan Jacob van Wulfften Palthe, Marjolaine Lopes and Silvan Koortens.
Read the Press Release.