Actis to spend USD 250m on Mexican energy platform, starts with wind

Sep 8, 2014 - Global private equity firm Actis will commit some USD 250 million (EUR 193m) to create an energy platform in Mexico, whose first project is a 50-MW wind park in the southern part of the country.

The goal of the new electricity generation firm, called Zuma Energia, is to develop more than 500 MW of wind, solar and thermal power plants in Mexico, Actis said in a statement on Friday.

Zuma has just closed the financing for the newly-acquired 50-MW Ingenio wind scheme in the state of Oaxaca. More specifically, the project will receive debt funding from state-owned Banco Nacional de Comercio Exterior SNC, also known as Bancomext. Meanwhile, private investor Comexhidro will own a 5% stake in the scheme.

As previously announced, Acciona Energia, part of Spanish infrastructure and renewable energy firm Acciona (MCE:ANA), will build, operate and maintain the USD-111-million Ingenio wind farm, which will use 33 turbines. Construction works are scheduled to start in October and the facility is expected to be up and ready to run in the last quarter of 2015. It is estimated to generate enough electricity to fulfill the needs of 125,000 local homes.

Zuma represents Actis' fourth power generation platform in Latin America, the investor noted.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.772)

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