London,11 February 2015–Actis, the global pan-emerging market private equity firm, is committing $230 million to create an Indian renewable energy platform, Ostro Energy.Ranjit Gupta has been hired as CEO of the platform. With a strong background in the Indian energy sector, Gupta is building a strong team to lead the business.
Ostro Energy’s first project is Tejuva, a 50.4MW wind project, already under constructionin the Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan.On completion, the platform aims to provide 800MW of capacity across several Indian states by 2019.
Ostro Energy is the fifth suchenergy platform that Actis has created recently, followingGlobeleqMeso America in Central America, Zuma Energia in Mexico, Aela Energia in Chile and Atlantic Renovaveis in Brazil. Since 2002, the firmhas deployed in excess of US$1.9 billion in 27 energy transactions, across 21 countries, providing energy access to over 30 million people.
Commenting on creating Ostro Energy, Torbjorn Caesar, Partner and Co Head of Energy at Actis, said: “With shortages of coal and gas,plus the environmental and social challenges associated with hydro and thermal projects, renewable energy is fast becoming critical to the energy supply equation in India. We are delighted to help extend and diversifyIndia’swind energy footprint, drawing on our deep understanding of both India and the energy sector.”
Commenting on the acquisition of the Tejuva project, Ranjit Gupta, CEO of Ostro Energy said: “Tejuva is a significant first step in helping Ostro Energy achieve its objective of becoming a leading wind power company in India. We are looking forward to working with Actis to bring the project to full capacity this year and grow the company’s project pipeline to achieve our business plan objectives.”
Sanjiv Aggarwal, Head of Actis’s Energy Investments in Asia, added: “Actis sees significant potential in the Indian renewable sector. We believe that Ostro will become a leading wind provider in this market. We have a topclass team led by Ranjit and look forward to working with them to grow Ostro’s business.”
About Actis
Actis invests exclusively in the emerging markets with a growing portfolio of investments in Asia, Africa and Latin America; it currently has US$7.6 billion funds under management. Combining the expertise of over 100 investment professionals on the ground in nine countries, Actis identifies investment opportunities in three areas: private equity, energy and real estate. Actis backs quality businesses, bringing financial and social benefits to investors, consumers and communities. It calls this thepositive power of capital.
Since 2002, Actis has deployed in excess of US$1.9 billion in 27 energy transactions, across 21 countries, generating over 14,500MW capacity and providing energy access to over 30 million people.
About Tejuva
Tejuva is part of a 150MW development in the Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan. Developed by wind turbine supplier Suzlon Energy, the site has been in development for more than four years. The project has achieved financial close and is expected to achieve completion by mid 2015.