LEI: 213800ZPHCBDDSQH5447

26 April 2022

NextEnergy Solar Fund Limited

("NESF" or the "Company")

First Co-Located 6MW Battery Storage Project

NextEnergy Solar Fund, the specialist solar power renewable energy investment company, announces the selection of its first site for a co-located battery storage project.  The project will extend the existing 11MW North Norfolk solar farm within the NESF portfolio to include a 6MW/12MWh battery system.  Planning permission for the co-located battery system has been secured, with construction expected to commence on site later this year.

The Company continues to identify additional co-located battery storage opportunities through its retrofit program, in addition to its existing 250MW joint venture with Eelpower for standalone battery storage.  The retrofit program for co-located battery storage aims to leverage NESF's 91 UK solar assets and the expertise of the NESF investment management team at NextEnergy Capital in bringing innovative projects to fruition.  An additional four potential locations for co-located battery storage systems have been identified to date and are being progressed into development stage.

Working alongside leading delivery partners in the UK battery sector, NESF expects that co-location of battery storage systems alongside the Company's existing solar portfolio will provide additional asset, technology and revenue diversification, whilst also accessing the favourable future revenue opportunities that battery storage systems present.

North Norfolk solar farm is a subsidised solar asset that benefits from Ofgem's Renewables Obligation Certificate ("ROC") scheme with a 1.6 banding.  The Company will continue closely to align the configuration of its co-located battery projects with Ofgem's latest guidance.

Michael Bonte-Friedheim, Group CEO of NextEnergy Group said:

"NESF's first co-located battery site at the North Norfolk solar farm marks another key milestone for the Company.  Implementing co-located batteries across the portfolio presents an attractive growth opportunity for NESF as these assets offer both synergies with our PV assets, as well as offering diversification to our portfolio income.  Battery storage is a market that NESF has been preparing for some time, having acquired two small scale co-located batteries at Salcey Farm and Pierces Farm in 2017, and we look forward to keeping the market up to date on the results of this programme, now and in the future."

Ross Grier, UK Managing Director of NextEnergy Capital commented:

"Battery storage is, and will be, a strong driver of growth for NESF, particularly as we look to help in the drive to decarbonisation and the UK's goal to achieve net zero by 2050.  We anticipate that energy market volatility and continued demand for higher amounts of renewable energy will increase our strong value proposition for battery storage within NESF's portfolio.  We continue to evaluate battery storage opportunities that meet our investment threshold and look forward to building out this exciting growth sector for NESF." 

For further information:

Notes to Editors¹:

About NextEnergy Solar Fund

NESF is a specialist solar power renewable energy investment company listed on the premium segment of the London Stock Exchange that invests in utility-scale solar power plants and energy storage.  The Company may invest up to 30% of its gross asset value in non-UK OECD countries, 15% in solar-focused private equity structures, and 10% in energy storage.

NESF currently has a diversified portfolio comprising of the following:

Solar PV:

·    99 operating solar assets across the UK and Italy (primarily on agricultural, industrial, and commercial sites)

·    A 50MW co-investment into a Spanish solar project alongside NextPower III ESG, currently under construction

·    A subsidy-free UK solar project under construction (Whitecross 36MW)

·    A ready-to-build subsidy-free UK solar project (Hatherden 50MW)

·    A $50m commitment into NextPower III ESG (a private solar infrastructure fund providing exposure to operating and in-development international solar assets)

Energy Storage:

·    A 50MW standalone battery storage project in Fife, Scotland, currently under construction (part of a 250MW joint venture with Eelpower)

·    A 6MW co-located battery storage project at North Norfolk Solar Farm

The NESF portfolio has a combined installed power capacity of 865MW (excluding NextPower III MW on an equivalent look-through basis).

As at 31 December 2021, the Company had a gross asset value of £1,094 million, being the aggregate of the net asset value of the ordinary shares, the fair value of the preference shares and the amount of NESF Group debt outstanding, and a net asset value of £615million.

NESF's investment objective is to provide ordinary shareholders with attractive risk-adjusted returns, principally in the form of regular dividends, by investing in a diversified portfolio of solar energy and energy storage infrastructure assets.  The majority of NESF's long-term cash flows are inflation-linked via UK government subsidies.

For further information on NESF please visit www.nextenergysolarfund.com 

Commitment to ESG

NESF is committed to ESG principles and responsible investment which make a meaningful contribution to reducing CO2 emissions through the generation of clean solar power.  NESF will only select investments that meet the requirements of NEC Group's Sustainable Investment Policy.  Based on this policy, NESF benefits from NEC's rigorous ESG due diligence on each investment.  NESF is committed to reporting on its ESG performance in accordance with the UN Sustainable Development Goals framework and the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation.

NESF has been awarded the London Stock Exchange's Green Economy Mark and has been designated a Guernsey Green Fund by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission.

NESF's sustainability-related disclosures in the financial services sector in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 can be accessed on the ESG section of both the NESF website (nextenergysolarfund.com/esg/) & NEC Group website (nextenergycapital.com/sustainability/transparency-and-reporting/).

About NextEnergy Group

NESF is managed by NextEnergy Capital, part of the NextEnergy Group.  NextEnergy Group was founded in 2007 to become a leading market participant in the international solar sector.  Since its inception, it has been active in the development, construction and ownership of solar assets across jurisdictions.  NextEnergy Group operates via its three business units: NextEnergy Capital (Investment Management), WiseEnergy (Operating Asset Management) and Starlight (Asset Development).

NextEnergy Capital

NextEnergy Capital comprises the Group's investment management activities.  To date, NEC has invested in over 325 individual solar plants for a capacity in excess of 2.3GW across it institutional funds. 
www.nextenergycapital.com

·    NextEnergy Solar Fund ("NESF") is a solar infrastructure investment company focused on the UK and other OECD countries, that is listed on the premium segment of the London Stock Exchange.  It currently owns 865MW spread among 99 individual assets in the UK and Italy, comprising a gross asset value of £1,094m.  NESF is one of the largest listed solar energy investment companies in the world.

·    NextPower II ("NPII") a private fund made up of 105 individual operating solar power plants and an installed capacity of 149MW, focused on consolidating the substantial, highly fragmented Italian solar market.  NPII was successfully divested in January 2022, a 2016 vintage vehicle that generated net IRRs to its investors in excess of 25%, versus a gross target of 10-12%.

·    NextPower III ESG ("NPIII") is a private fund exclusively focused on the international solar infrastructure sector, principally targeting projects in carefully selected OECD countries, including the US, Portugal, Spain, Chile, Poland and Italy.  NPIII ESG is a fund that provides a positive social and environmental impact to the countries it has and will invest into.  NPIII completed its fundraise with a total of $896m, including a SMA raised.  The target of the fund was $750m.

·    NextPower UK ESG ("NPUK ESG") is a private unlevered fund investing in greenfield subsidy-free solar projects, with PPA's, in the UK.  NPUK ESG was launched in December 2021.  The UK Infrastructure Bank is providing financing to the initial seed assets of the fund, and plans to invest up to £250m, half of the fund's total target fund size, on a match-funding basis.

WiseEnergy

WiseEnergy® is NextEnergy Capital Group's operating asset manager.  WiseEnergy is a leading specialist operating asset manager in the solar sector.  Since its founding, WiseEnergy has provided solar asset management, monitoring and technical due diligence services to over 1,300 utility-scale solar power plants with an installed capacity in excess of 2.2GW.  WiseEnergy clients comprise leading banks and equity financiers in the energy and infrastructure sector. 

www.wise-energy.com

Starlight

Starlight is NextEnergy Group's development company that is active in the development phase of solar projects.  It has developed over 100 utility-scale projects internationally and continues to progress a large pipeline of c.2.5GW of both green and brownfield project developments across global geographies.

Notes:

^1: All financial data is unaudited as at 31 December 2021, being the latest date in respect of which NESF has published financial information