Investment firm commits $20bn to European infrastructure projects

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The infrastructure platform, composed of Ardian Infrastructure Fund VI (AIF VI), reached a hard cap of $13.5 billion and will focus on energy, transport, and digital infrastructure.

AIF VI has already committed capital to several projects, including London Heathrow Airport, where Ardian is the largest shareholder, and Venice Airport, through a joint acquisition with Finint Infrastrutture.

In the energy sector, investments include Akuo, a renewable energy platform with 1.9GW of wind, solar, and storage capacity across Europe, and Energia Group, one of Ireland’s largest utilities.

In waste management, Attero is developing a 640 kilotonnes per year carbon capture and storage project at its Moerdijk plant.

Digital infrastructure projects include Verne, a UK-based data center platform powered by decarbonized energy.

Mathias Burghardt, executive vice president and CEO of Ardian France and Head of Infrastructure, Ardian, said, “Amid Ardian’s continued strong performance, this milestone fundraise reflects the success of our differentiated strategy that we have applied consistently since inception 20 years ago.

“We have expanded into new geographies while maintaining a clear and selective focus on essential and capital intensive assets in three key sectors: energy, transport and digital infrastructure.”

AIF VI includes investors from Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East.