DIF Capital Partners (DIF) is to invest in French renewable energy platform Qair through its Infrastructure VII fund to accelerate growth and portfolio build out.
The Qair platform is focused on a wide range of technologies including onshore and offshore wind, utility scale solar, energy from waste, hydroelectricity, (battery) storage, hydrogen production, as well as tidal energy.
Qair is a global player with a presence in 20 countries.
The majority of its activities are based in France, Poland, Germany, Italy, Spain and Brazil.
The Group has 550 employees and is headquartered in Paris, France.
Qair has an operational portfolio of around 1GW, which is mainly comprised of onshore wind (75%) and solar projects, as well as a development pipeline of 25GW.
The Group benefits from strong development capabilities and foresees to add around 4GW of renewable projects over the next five years.
Qair chief executive Louis Blanchard said: “With my partners Jean Marc Bouchet and RGreen, and the broader Qair team, we are happy to welcome DIF Capital Partners and join forces to pursue the development of our group’s strategy.
“We are confident that with the entrepreneurial spirit that drives us both, DIF will offer us the best support in our mission to accelerate the energy transition, especially within the current complex energy market.”
Partner at DIF and head of investments for DIF Infrastructure VII Gijs Voskuyl added: “DIF is delighted to partner with Qair and its management team and support them in their next phase of growth.
“We believe the Group has built up an excellent track record and an impressive pipeline across a wide range of renewable energy sectors and countries and is very well positioned to play a leading role in the continuous decarbonization of the global economy.”
Qair was advised by August Debouzy, PSP Avocats, NM Advisory, 8 Advisory, PWC and Niddam-Drouas.
DIF was advised by Astris Finance, KPMG, H3P, Clifford Chance, UL, DNV, Baringa and Marsh.