Amplio secures €40m funding to build European solar plants

Investment includes purchase of first 3 MW siteFirst step in developing 100 MW solar plants over next two yearsLondon, UK, 17 July 2009: Amplio, the entrepreneurial group which builds and invests in businesses in the renewable energy and environmental sectors, has secured €40m from institutional investors to build a pipeline of up to about 100 MW of photovoltaic solar plants over two years. Currently Amplio is building 3MW with Martifer, the Portuguese group as EPC contractor and has lined up another 15 MW in final permitting stages.

The plant’s assets will be managed by Amplio Solar, a newly created division within the Amplio Group of companies. The financing for the project includes over 80% from a local Italian bank and the remainder from institutional investors, and reinforces Amplio’s position as a leading operator and investor in green technology and renewable energy.

The demand for solar energy
Solar energy has long been seen as a key renewable energy source and a means to counter the problems of pollution and climate change resulting from the use of fossil fuels.

As such, it has attracted significant interest from investors, with around $28.6 billion in investment in the solar energy sector over the last year and, since 2004, the global market for solar energy has grown by an annual rate of 254%.

The benefits of using solar energy technology have long been known to provide clean, non-polluting energy from a constant source and it has been found that every minute the sun delivers enough energy to the earth to meet global demands for an entire year.

Riccardo Segat, founder and chief executive of Amplio Group, said:
“We are delighted to secure this deal and embark on the first step of this project, which will create one of the leading solar energy facilities in Europe. We have strategically decided to focus on developing businesses in Solar, Biogas and water treatment and we are building a group which will have a substantial business in the next few years. Renewable energy is an enduring success story and, despite the economic downturn, there is still great opportunity and appetite in this sector.” 

Alberto Dalla Rosa, chief executive of Amplio Solar said:
“This is our first step to build a larger portfolio in Italy and provides the opportunity to consolidate our presence in this market. Our portfolio that in Sicily already includes an additional 20 MW to be completed by 2010, has a final target of about 80-100 MW. We have now finalized a number of agreements with developers and EPC contractors that will allow Amplio Solar to achieve our target. Despite our present concentration on fix-tilt ground-mounted system, we are well advanced into the development of rooftop systems that we definitely believe will constitute the next “sustainable” frontier for the expansion of solar photovoltaic systems in Italy.

” Amplio Partners’ €50m funding package
Amplio Partners announced in June that it is seeking additional funding to focus on unique investment opportunities in Europe in the high growth industries of renewable energy, alternative fuels, recycling, filtration, environmental services and speciality care.
Using its operational experience accumulated over the past five years, the Amplio team focuses on acquiring and developing businesses at the smaller, less crowded end of the market which offer higher growth potential.

Established track record
Previous successful ventures include Amafilter Group and Maestrale Green Energy, companies focused on water and industrial fluid filtration and wind farm development and operation respectively.
Amplio Partners is headed by Riccardo Segat, a private equity professional with experience in building businesses and international financial structuring.

A former partner of AMP Private Capital and principal of Compass Partners, Segat – who started his career in the Investment Banking group of Merrill Lynch in London and the Equity Capital Group at GE Capital – represents the international outlook of Amplio Partners. Riccardo started working independently five years ago as an entrepreneur buying and building both Amafilter Group and Maestrale.Permalink