Company Update

RNS Number : 2536R

SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Tst

05 March 2021

 

5 March 2021

SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust plc
("SEEIT" or the "Company")

Company Update

SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust plc is pleased to provide an update on recent investment activity and Investment Manager Environmental, Social and Governance ("ESG") initiatives .

Framework investment agreements

SEEIT has signed framework agreements with two preferred development partners providing it with the right to invest in a series of energy efficiency assets in the UK and the United States.

SEEIT has signed a framework agreement with BasePower Limited ("BasePower"), a developer and operator of on-site energy projects in the UK, which are expected to include solar PV, high efficiency combined heat and power ("CHP") and microgrid projects for commercial and industrial clients. Under the framework, BasePower will manage development, construction and operations of the projects. The pipeline is approximately 37 MW and is expected to involve an investment of approximately £10 million per annum over the next 5 years.

SEEIT has also signed a new agreement with Sparkfund, an existing developer relationship in the United States. SEEIT invested US$22 million in a portfolio of project-backed loans in September 2019. Under this new agreement, SEEIT would re-finance a new portfolio of projects at construction completion over the next 12 months, which are expected to include energy efficiency and resiliency measures such as lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, backup generation and building management systems and controls. This new investment is expected to involve projects totalling approximately US$20 million.

Such framework agreements with established developers and partners can generate valuable organic follow-on pipeline investment opportunities, often on pre-agreed terms.

Investment Manager ESG Initiatives

The Investment Manager, Sustainable Development Capital LLP ("SDCL"), is pleased to have joined the UK Green Building Council as it had stated it planned to do in the Company's ESG report in October 2020. The UK Green Building Council's mission is to radically improve the sustainability of the built environment, by transforming the way it is planned, designed, constructed, maintained and operated. It promotes improvements to the built environment that help in mitigating and adapting to climate change, eliminating waste and maximising resource efficiency, embracing and restoring nature and promoting biodiversity, optimising the health and wellbeing of people and creating long-term value for society and improving quality of life.

SDCL is also pleased to have joined the Green Finance Institute's Coalition for the Energy Efficiency of Buildings ("CEEB"). Green Finance Institute (the "Institute") is an independent, commercially focused organisation supported by HM Treasury, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the City of London Corporation. The Institute seeks to mobilise capital to accelerate the domestic and international transition to a sustainable, net-zero carbon economy that is also climate resilient. The CEEB convenes global experts from finance, property and energy sectors, and across policy, academia and non-profit organisations, to develop the market for financing a net-zero carbon and climate resilient built environment in the UK and internationally.

For Further Information

Sustainable Development Capital LLP Jonathan Maxwell Eugene Kinghorn Purvi Sapre Keith Driver	T: [phone]
Jefferies International Limited Tom Yeadon Gaudi Le Roux Neil Winward	T: [phone]
TB Cardew Ed Orlebar Joe McGregor	T: [phone] M: [phone] E: [e-mail]

About SEEIT

SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust plc is the first UK listed company of its kind to invest exclusively in the energy efficiency sector. Its projects are primarily located in the UK, Europe and North America and include, inter alia, a portfolio of cogeneration assets in Spain, a portfolio of recycled energy and cogeneration projects in the United States, a regulated gas distribution network in Sweden and, most recently, a portfolio of commercial and industrial solar and storage projects in the United States.

The Company aims to deliver shareholders value through its investment in a diversified portfolio of energy efficiency projects which are driven by the opportunity to deliver lower cost, cleaner and more reliable energy solutions to end users of energy.

The Company is targeting an attractive total return for shareholders of 7-8 per cent. per annum (net of fees and expenses and by reference to the initial issue price of £1.00 per Ordinary Share), with a stable dividend income, capital preservation and the opportunity for capital growth. The Company is targeting a dividend of 5.5p per share in respect of the financial year to 31 March 2021. SEEIT's last published NAV was 102.0p per share as at 30 September 2020.

Past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance.

Further information can be found on the Company's website at www.seeitplc.com .

Investment Manager

SEEIT's investment manager is SDCL, an investment firm established in 2007, with a proven track record of investment in energy efficiency and decentralised generation projects in the UK, Continental Europe, North America and Asia.

SDCL is headquartered in London and also operates worldwide from offices in New York, Dublin, Madrid, Hong Kong and Singapore. SDCL is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Further information can be found at www.sdclgroup.com .

 

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