ENGIE Rassembleurs d'Energies Fund

Access to energy is at the heart of the drive towards sustainable economic growth, social inclusion and environmental preservation. In 2011, in order to strengthen its commitment to provide sustainable energy for all, ENGIE created a dedicated corporate investment fund "ENGIE Rassembleurs d’Energies". This fund supports social entrepreneurs providing sustainable and relevant energy access solutions to under-served populations and fight against energy insecurity.

 

Investment policy

Our goal is to contribute to tackle the challenge of energy poverty by investing in social enterprises:

• enabling vulnerable populations to access clean and sustainable energy solutions

• improving energy efficiency to reduce energy dependence

We invest in companies that are economically sustainable and create strong social and environmental impacts. The investees must also comply with ENGIE international ethical and social standards and principles.

 

Areas of intervention

Target	Enterprises with high social and environmental impacts
Geographical areas	Worldwide with special attention to geographical zones where the ENGIE group operates
Fields of intervention	•Access to electricity: (renewable decentralized energy solutions) •Energy efficiency: renovation of energy-consuming buildings, construction of energy-efficient houses, etc. •Access to clean cooking solutions (biogas, biomass, improved cook stoves)
Economic maturity of the project	Priority is given to projects that are to reach development or growth stage

 

Ways and means of intervention

• Financial support:

Equity or quasi-equity investments

•Amount invested: case by case, from 150 k€ up to 5M€ average 800k€ •Duration of investment: 7 years on average

• Amount invested: case by case, from 100 k€ to over than 1M€
• Duration of investment: from 5-7 years or longer (patient investors)
• Minority stake (<40%)
• Economic viability of the project (IRR minimum : WACC)
• Position to the Board or similar governance bodies

 

Investment criteria

As a “patient investor”, we particularly value social and environmental impacts. Nevertheless investment choice takes into account various factors, including:

• Scope of the project (access to energy, clean energy solutions, energy efficiency)
• Company’s social mission
• Measurable social and environmental impacts
• Quality of the management team (skills, experience, in the field approach)
• Innovative characteristics of the business model solution
• Sustainable business model
• Reasonable security and safety of the targeted markets
• Economic maturity
• Amount of the investment and financial return
• Synergy including the activities and the Business Units of the group ENGIE/ Rassembleurs d’Energies’ portfolio

 

Governance and process

• Selection Committee by the team of ENGIE Rassembleurs d’Energies
• Approval by the Investment Committee
• Closing of investments are led by the team of ENGIE Rassembleurs d’Energies
• Technical support is provided by ENGIE Rassembleurs d’Energies and ENGIE group during the set up and the follow-up of the investment project throughout the term of the investment