CrossBoundary Energy (CBE) announced completion of a $40 million equity investment from Norfund, and KLP, through their joint company KLP Norfund Investments. This commitment will allow CrossBoundary Energy to further scale its investments in renewable energy solutions for commercial and industrial businesses across Africa.
CBE is a developer, owner, and operator of commercial and industrial renewable energy systems in Africa. Norfund is the Norwegian Investment Fund for developing countries while KLP is Norway’s largest pension company.
The $40 million commitment is a continuation of Norfund and KLP’s earlier investments in the C&I sector and endorses the scale and maturity of the distributed generation sector in Africa. The secured funding is in addition to $40M in equity invested in CrossBoundary Energy by ARCH Emerging Markets’ Africa Renewable Power Fund in 2020.
CrossBoundary Energy provides tailored, fully financed renewable energy solutions to its corporate customers allowing them to avoid upfront capital expenditure and technical risks, whilst still benefitting from cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable power.
CrossBoundary Energy is currently delivering a portfolio of $188M in projects for 30 corporate customers across 14 countries in Africa, comprising 150 MWp of solar PV assets, 50 MWh of battery energy storage assets, and 12 MW of wind assets. CrossBoundary Energy is the renewable energy provider of choice for a number of market-leading companies present in Africa, including Unilever, Diageo, Rio Tinto, Heineken, and AB InBev.
Pieter Joubert, President and Chief Investment Officer, CrossBoundary Energy says, “We are very excited to welcome Norfund and KLP as investors. Their commitment is aligned with our belief that the business sector across Africa should be able to benefit from cheaper, cleaner and more reliable power. This investment validates CrossBoundary Energy’s position as a trusted provider of customer-centric renewable energy solutions to the African business community. We look forward to drawing on Norfund’s significant experience as seek to deliver an operational portfolio of over $300M in assets within the next 5 years.”
Kristoffer Valvik, Investment Manager, Norfund, says, “We believe that distributed renewables are playing a critical role in driving towards the clean and sustainable growth of the commercial and industrial sector across Africa. The cost savings offered by renewable energy, coupled with the reliability of battery energy storage systems, allows companies like CrossBoundary Energy to provide the business sector with immediate cost savings whilst significantly reducing their emissions, and creating employment in the renewable energy sector. CrossBoundary Energy has secured a leading portfolio of high-quality assets and we are excited to support them as they continue to scale.”
Aage Schaanning, Group Chief Financial Officer, KLP, says, “We are pleased to support the further development of CrossBoundary Energy’s portfolio of distributed renewable energy systems and are confident that its strong business practices will boost sustainable economic development on the African continent and deliver stable and predictable returns for KLPs owners.”
William Barry, Managing Director, ARCH ARPF, says, “We are extremely pleased with the progress made by CrossBoundary Energy following our investment in 2020, with their portfolio growing ten-fold over the last two years. CrossBoundary Energy has established itself as a pioneer and clear market leader in the commercial and industrial renewable energy sector across Africa, and we look forward to supporting the next phase of growth enabled by Norfund and KLP’s investment.”
Image: Unilever Tea Kenya ground mount single-axis tracking solar installation in Kericho, Kenya. Credit: CrossBoundary Energy