The Church Commissioners for England has committed €30m to Pioneer Point Partners’ debut institutional fund, which is focused on sustainable infrastructure investments in western Europe.
Pioneer Infrastructure Partners raised €575m earlier this year, attracting investment from investors including Texas Municipal Retirement Systems and the European Investment Fund, according to the Church Commissioners.
The fund will make investments that support energy transition and the circular economy over a 10-year period, and has already invested in Irish biogas developer and operator Stream Bioenergy and Spanish renewables platform Altano Energy.
The Church Commissioners have been seeking to diversifying their investment portfolio into European climate infrastructure. Earlier this year, Paul Jaffe joined as head of real assets sustainability.
The investment in the Pioneer fund follows recent investments in electric-vehicle charging infrastructure in the UK and renewable energy developments in Northern Ireland.
The Church Commissioners said they chose Pioneer due to its expertise in lower mid-market, value-add sustainable infrastructure investments across western Europe, an area it had identified for additional investment.
Chris West, head of timberland, infrastructure and indirect property at the Church Commissioners, said: “This investment marks the Church Commissioners’ continued diversification into climate-infrastructure projects across western Europe, and consolidates our commitment to environmental stewardship by providing a platform to support European net-zero targets through investing in sustainable energy production.
“We look forward to working with Pioneer’s experienced team, who have a proven track record of successful deal-by-deal transactions within the sustainable infrastructure space.”
