Time for an increase in SP !!18 Mar 2014 15:56
Infinis Energy plc wins European Onshore Wind Deal of the Year for refinancing of its 274MW operational wind portfolio.
Infinis has been announced as the winner of Project Finance magazine’s European Onshore Wind Deal of the Year for the successful £330m refinancing and consolidation of a portfolio of 16 onshore wind sites in the UK.
The deal, which closed in October 2013, comprised a single new senior debt facility of £296m and ancillary facilities of £33.5m. Proceeds were used to refinance 10 existing project finance facilities markedly reducing the complexity of the business structure and the interest expense. The structure of the deal also released cash resources trapped within the previous debt facilities, granting the company additional balance sheet flexibility.
The financing was completed five weeks before Infinis’ successful IPO on the London Stock Exchange. With its solid pipeline of future wind farm development, Infinis will take the experience of this deal forward as it looks to finance projects in the future.
Eric Machiels, CEO commented:
“We are really pleased that Project Finance Magazine has recognised the quality of the refinancing deal we concluded in October. It is a testament to the maturity of the onshore wind sector, the confidence which lenders have in Infinis and the dependability of our future revenues. As a newly listed company we will look to build on this deal and use it as a blueprint for future financings.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Infinis
The Infinis group is the UK's leading independent generator of renewable power [1]. It employs approximately 365 people and operates 147 power plants with an aggregate generating capacity of 621MW [2], comprising:
 121 landfill gas sites (330MW)
 16 onshore wind farms (274MW)
 10 hydro sites (17MW)
Infinis is the largest generator of electricity from landfill gas in the UK, with a market share of about 40% [1], and is one of the leading owners and operators of onshore wind farms in the UK. Infinis has an attractive pipeline of development opportunities which are at various stages of consent and planning.