Legal & General Completes First UK Offshore Wind Investment
London, UK - Legal & General announces that it has provided close to £300m of long-term acquisition debt in support of Danish pension funds, PKA and PFA consortium’s approx £2bn purchase of 50% of Walney Extension from Ørsted (the former Dong Energy).
The acquisition represents Legal & General’s first debt investment into UK offshore wind sector and its second largest infrastructure debt investment, after the £400m London Gateway Port refinancing in 2016. The deal was financed by LGIM Real Assets on behalf of their clients, including Legal & General Retirement (LGR). LGR was the principal investor for LGIM Real Assets on this transaction, providing £250M of the circa £300M of long-term acquisition debt.
The Walney Extension offshore wind farm will be located in the Irish Sea, around 19 km west of the Walney Island coast in Cumbria. Approximately £1 Million per month was contributed to the local economy during the construction of Walney I and II. It is also estimated that for the Walney Extension Project, Ørsted could support up to 185 full-time jobs annually throughout the estimated 25 year operational lifespan.
Source: IWR Online, 21 Nov 2017
