Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and Danish pension fund PensionDanmark have set up a microgrid business to provide electricity to industries including heavy transport, data centres and oil and gas operations.
The two partners have created Plexar Energy, a company that provides industrial clients with financing, through the €112.5m CI Microgrid Electrification Fund, to install microgrids without upfront costs. PensionDanmark is the sole external investor in the new fund.
Plexar Energy will develop, install and operate renewable energy-powered microgrid solutions, targeting industries like port operations and district heating that need cost-effective, robust and clean electricity, the companies said.
Karsten Plauborg, partners at CIP and CEO of Plexar Energy, said: “Electrification has become a path to improved competitiveness for many businesses and microgrids provide quick and cost-effective access to advanced technology such as power AI and electrical engineering.
“Plexar Energy will tap into the large commercial opportunities in the microgrid segment and will serve industries and companies directly with their electricity needs.”
Rune Gade Holm, head of private markets at PensionDanmark, said: “We need new platforms to drive the green transition of the energy system into a new phase, where it can truly take place in areas such as heavy transport and industry.
“Microgrids have the potential to become a central element in the future energy supply, and therefore this collaboration is an attractive return opportunity for our members’ pension savings, while at the same time it can make a substantial difference for the sustainability of the energy supply.”
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