Bouwinvest Real Estate Investors, which invests internationally on behalf of Dutch pension fund BpfBouw, has committed $60m (€50m) to a US data centre investment vehicle.

Sabey Corporation and National Real Estate Advisors said the Dutch investor’s capital commitment to Sabey Data Center Properties (SDCP) is part of a $270m capital raise this year for SDCP. Bouwinvest has invested in SDCP through National Real Estate Advisors acting as the investment manager.

Bert van den Hoek, senior portfolio manager North American investments at Bouwinvest, said: “Bouwinvest selected the $60m SDCP investment because of the shared institutional investor culture with National Real Estate Advisors and the operational excellence, long track record and nationwide reach of SDCP, combined with the compelling nature of the deal in meeting our main strategic priorities in the US market.

“The data centres portfolio links to the megatrend of the digitalisation of the economy and the growing importance of this emerging real estate asset class in the extension of the ‘core’ risk definition of income-producing properties.

“But the key deal clinching factor for us was that it is a more sustainable investment, with approximately 80% of the energy supply for the data centre campuses in the portfolio coming from renewable hydro-power.”

Jeffrey Kanne, president and CEO of National Real Estate Advisors, said: “We are very pleased that Bouwinvest Real Estate Investors—one of the world’s most respected investors—chose National to manage its inaugural investment in the US data centre sector.

“Bouwinvest’s commitment to environmental sustainability and responsible contracting align perfectly with National and SDCP’s pursuit of long-term, healthy returns in a responsible manner.”

Dave Sabey, chairman and president, Sabey Corporation, said: “The Sabey partnership with National Real Estate Advisors has been key to our success in expanding our nationwide data centre footprint and we are excited to begin a new relationship with Bouwinvest Real Estate Investors. Demand for digital capacity will continue to increase, and SDCP is dedicated to meeting that demand.”

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