NextEnergy Capital’s UK solar energy infrastructure fund has added the 50MW Staughton Solar Farm to its portfolio.
The acquisition of the solar farm in Bedfordshire represents NextPower UK ESG’s twelfth acquisition and its second acquisition this month, lifting the fund’s portfolio capacity to 565MW.
NextPower UK ESG now operates 178MW of solar assets and co-located energy storage in the UK. Additionally, it has 387MW of solar and energy storage projects under construction or ready to build, with more acquisitions planned in the near term.
NextEnergy Capital said the fund is actively fundraising towards its hard cap, having secured £683m (€831.8m) in committed funds to date, approximately 37% above its £500m target. Several investors are currently in late-stage due diligence, with additional capital expected to close in the coming weeks, the manager added.
Spyros Sfantos, investment director UK, NextEnergy Capital, said the fund’s total capacity has grown to an impressive 565MW since its launch in August 2022, “we expect to see further growth in NPUK’s [NextPower UK ESG] total capacity through the end of the year and into 2025 through further acquisitions”.
“NPUK remains on track to outperform its return and dividend targets, with dividends to date being significantly above the target.”
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