Lærernes Pension, the Danish teachers’ pension fund, has acquired a DKK1bn (€134m) holding in AIP Infrastructure II from PKA - the Danish pension provider which originally formed the Copenhagen-based firm running the fund.

AIP Management said this second fund focused on energy transition investments in Europe and North America, and that Lærernes Pension’s investment coincided with the final close of the DKK30bn vehicle.

Karsten Kjeldsen, chief executive officer of Lærernes Pension, said: “We very much like this type of investment which creates a good platform for our sustainable infrastructure portfolio.”

Such investments gave the firm the opportunity to combine good return prospects with responsible and climate-friendly investing, which supported its aim to build a more sustainable portfolio, he said.

Jon Johnsen, CEO of PKA, said: “We have a very close cooperation with Lærernes Pension in several areas. It therefore makes sense to see them join AIP as an investor.”

He said the platform now had a circle of investors including a number of pension funds and asset managers from Denmark and abroad who had the same view on the necessity of investing in green infrastructure.

“This puts AIP in a good position to find the best possible investments to the benefit of our members’ return as well as the climate,” he said.

AIP Management, a direct infrastructure investment platform for institutional investors originally established as PKA AIP in 2012, said the entry of Lærernes Pension held great prospects for the future development of the platform.

Kasper Hansen, AIP’s managing partner, said the platform was created with an aim of having multiple institutional investors onboard sharing the benefits and costs of investing directly into energy and infrastructure assets.

“We are proud to see this vision unfolding and look forward to a good, long-term partnership with likeminded investors,” he said.

AIP Management said other investors in its infrastructure fund included PKA, PenSam, Storebrand Asset Management, AkademikerPension, as well as a group of Swiss institutional investors.