Épopée Gestion, a regional investment company, has announced the launch of a new fund dedicated to financing low-carbon infrastructure in the French regions. With initial closing of €100 million, the fund, which will run for thirteen years, is aiming for size of €250-300 million. Its ambition is to support a dozen projects working to decarbonize the economy, notably transport, energy production and adaptation to climate change. This first round of financing was carried out with several leading investors, including: Caisse des Dépôts, Tikehau Capital, Suravenir via SWEN Capital Partners, Groupama, Abeille Assurances, Allianz France, Caisse d’Épargne Bretagne Pays de Loire and Banque Populaire Grand Ouest.
Accelerating infrastructure transformation to slow down global warming
Called Épopée Infra Climat I, the fund will invest in emerging infrastructure models (“Next Gen infra“) to accelerate their deployment: low-carbon transport, decarbonized energies, energy renovation, electrification… A third of the fund will be dedicated to the maritime world in particular. The aim is to enable models or technologies that have already proved their worth in a limited area, or as part of an initial industrial series, to scaled up to accelerate climate investment.
The fund has set itself ambitious ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) objectives, which will guide its entire investment strategy towards the decarbonization of regions and their infrastructures. In particular, it is aiming for an Article 9 SFDR (Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation) classification, i.e. the highest level commitment to sustainable finance, and will be targeting a portfolio temperature in line with the Paris Agreement and a minimum alignment of 70% with the European Union’s green taxonomy.
An experienced investment team and two imminent investment projects
To convince subscribers, the Brest-based investment company relied on its Infrastructures team, led by Emmanuel Walliser and comprising two investment directors and an account manager. Backed by solid experience, the team’s roots and networks enable it to source projects on a human scale, as close to the ground as possible, often involving genuinely complex structuring and implementation. Two major investment projects are already well advanced, and have convinced investors of the management company’s ability to live up to its ambitions.
Ronan Le Moal, founder of Épopée Gestion, comments: “We would like to extend our warmest thanks to all the subscribers who have placed their trust in us and supported our vision of regional investment, in close contact with local players and citizens. They share with us the idea that decarbonization requires the massification of local initiatives. This infrastructure business complements the investment model we’ve been developing over the past three years to serve local communities. We are now able to finance and accelerate the deployment of startups, SMEs, sustainable real estate assets and infrastructures. Together with my partner and co-founder Charles Cabillic, and the entire Épopée Gestion team, we are convinced that ecosystemic investment is a virtuous way of creating jobs, developing regional decision-making centers and maximizing ecological and social impact.”