16 September 2024
LEI: 213800B81BFJKWM2JV13
OCTOPUS RENEWABLES INFRASTRUCTURE TRUST
PLC
Interim Results to 30 June
2024
Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust plc
("ORIT" or the
"Company") announces its
unaudited interim results for the period from 1 January 2024 to 30
June 2024.
Key
Highlights
|
As at 30 June 2024
(unaudited)
|
As at 31 December 2023
(audited)
|
NAV per Ordinary Share (p)
|
105.15
|
106.04
|
NAV (£ million)
|
592.8
|
599.0
|
Ordinary Share Price (p)
|
72.0p
|
90.0
|
Gross asset value (£ million)
|
1,098
|
980
|
Total value of all investments (£
million)
|
1,118
|
1,127
|
NAV total return since IPO on 10 December
2019
|
+31.2%
|
+28.6%
|
·
NAV total return in the six months ended 30 June 2024 of
+2.0% (30 June 2023: +0.9%).
·
Increased target dividend to 6.02p for FY 2024, representing
an increase of 4.0% over FY 2023 in line with inflation
(CPI)1. Targeted dividends are expected to be fully
covered by the operating portfolio's cashflows.
·
Dividend cover for H1 2024 was a comfortable 1.33x, an
increase on the same period in the previous year (30 June 2023:
1.09x).
·
At period end, capacity owned stood at 808MW (30 June 2023:
668MW).
·
The Company's operating income for the period was £14.6
million (inclusive of -£4.1 million movement in fair value of
investments), with a profit for the period of £11.3
million.
·
EBITDA from the portfolio of operational assets totalled
£45.3 million, arising from gross revenue of £68.7
million.
·
In June 2024, the Company initiated a share buyback programme
with an initial tranche of up to £10.0 million. As at 30 June 2024,
the Company held 1,200,962 shares in Treasury, which were bought by
ORIT for c. £0.9 million at an average price of 73.48 pence per
Ordinary Share.
·
Dividend per Ordinary Share declared for the period was
3.01p, in line with the target for H1 2024.
Operational
Highlights
·
In February 2024, ORIT acquired 100% of a 199MW complex of
four newly constructed solar farms at Ballymacarney, Ireland. This
is the largest solar complex in Ireland.
·
Additionally, commissioning tests on a fifth site at the
complex are expected to be completed in Q3 2024, after which point
the Company will acquire the asset.
·
In April 2024, ORIT signed a PPA for the Crossdykes wind farm
with Sky UK, which is due to commence in April 2025. This is
NAV-accretive when compared with power price assumptions included
in the NAV and resulted in an uplift of £5.5 million.
· A
follow-on investment of £5.9 million was made in the Simply Blue
Group, a floating offshore wind and sustainable fuels
developer.
·
In June 2024, construction had been completed at the 67MW
Breach solar farm in the UK.
Post Period
End
· Progress continued with the
capital recycling programme. The Company completed the sale of the
48MW Ljungbyholm onshore wind farm in Sweden in August 2024,
realising an IRR of 11.3% over the lifetime of the investment.
Since launching the programme, the Company has now generated £161
million of proceeds through three accretive investment
exits. Proceeds from the capital recycling programme
have predominantly been used to partially repay the Company's
short-term debt facility. Following the sale of
Ljungbyholm, total gearing has reduced to
43% as at 13 September
20242.
· The Company's share buyback
programme has continued post-period, and as at 11 September 2024
had repurchased c.3.0 million shares since launch for c.£2.2
million at an average price of 74.33 pence per Ordinary
Share.
Phil Austin,
Chairman of Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust plc,
commented:
"We are pleased that the Company has
maintained its trend of robust operational performance in the
context of continued volatile market conditions. During the period,
the Company acquired a large solar complex in Ireland, signed a
NAV-accretive PPA for the Crossdykes onshore wind farm with Sky UK,
and made a follow-on investment of £5.9 million into the Simply
Blue Group, to further develop its large pipeline of offshore wind
and sustainable fuels projects.
"Since the period-end, the Company completed
the sale of the Ljungbyholm onshore wind farm, which marked another
significant milestone in our capital recycling programme, which to
date has now generated £161 million of proceeds through three
accretive transactions.
"The recent cut to the base interest rate by
the Bank of England is a positive development for ORIT and those in
the investment companies sector and should begin to ease some of
the tough macroeconomic conditions that have presented headwinds in
recent years. The Company's diversification and commitment to its
capital recycling programme, in tandem with these improved
conditions, provide us with an encouraging outlook for the wider
renewables trust sector, with further opportunities to deliver
sustainable value to the Company's investor base."
Results
presentation today
There will be a virtual presentation for sell
side analysts at 9.30 a.m. today. Please contact Burson Buchanan
for details on octopus@buchanan.uk.com
For further
information please contact:
Octopus
Energy Generation (Investment Manager)
Chris Gaydon, David Bird
|
Via Burson Buchanan
|
Peel Hunt
(Broker)
Liz Yong, Luke Simpson, Huw Jeremy (Investment
Banking)
Alex Howe, Chris Bunstead, Ed Welsby, Richard
Harris, Michael Bateman (Sales)
|
020 7418 8900
|
Burson
Buchanan (Financial PR)
Charles Ryland, George Beale, Samuel
Adams
|
020 7466 5000
|
Apex Listed
Companies Services (UK) Limited (Company
Secretary)
|
020 3327 9720
|
Notes:
1. The dividend target
stated is a target only and not a profit forecast. There can be no
assurance that it will be met or that the Company will make any
distributions at all and it should not be taken as an indication of
the Company's expected future results. Accordingly, potential
investors should not place any reliance on this target in deciding
whether or not to invest in the Company and should decide for
themselves whether or not the target dividend is reasonable or
achievable. Investors should note that references to "dividends"
and "distributions" are intended to cover both dividend income and
income which is designated as an interest distribution for UK tax
purposes and therefore subject to the interest streaming regime
applicable to investment trusts.
2. Prior to
approximately £30 million of committed investments due to
be made in 2024, the majority of which relates to the acquisition
of the fifth site at the Ballymacarney solar complex
in Ireland.
About Octopus
Renewables Infrastructure Trust
Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust
("ORIT") is a London-listed, closed-ended investment company
incorporated in England and Wales focused on
providing investors with an attractive and sustainable level of
income returns, with an element of capital growth, by investing in
a diversified portfolio of renewable energy assets
in Europe and Australia. As an impact fund, ORIT is
helping accelerate the transition to net zero by investing in green
energy, whilst also contributing to a broader set of UN Sustainable
Development Goals through its impact initiatives. ORIT's investment
manager is Octopus Energy Generation.
Further details can be found
at www.octopusrenewablesinfrastructure.com
About Octopus
Energy Generation
Octopus Energy Generation is driving the
renewable energy agenda by building green power for the future. Its
specialist renewable energy fund management team invests in
renewable energy assets and broader projects helping the energy
transition, across operational, construction and development
stages. The team was set up in 2010 based on the belief that
investors can play a vital role in accelerating the shift to a
future powered by renewable energy. It has a 13-year track record
with approximately £6.7 billion of assets under management (AUM)
(as of 31 March 2024) across 20 countries and total 4.0GW. These
renewable projects generate enough green energy to power 2.5
million homes every year, the equivalent of taking over 1.5 million
petrol cars off the road. Octopus Energy Generation is the trading
name of Octopus Renewables Limited.
Further details can be found
at www.octopusenergygeneration.com
About the Company
Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust plc ("ORIT" or the
"Company") is a London-listed closed-ended investment company
incorporated in England and Wales.
The Company's purpose and
investment objective is to provide investors with an attractive and
sustainable level of income returns, with an element of capital
growth, by investing in a diversified portfolio of Renewable Energy
Assets in Europe and Australia.
ORIT classifies itself as an impact
fund with a core impact objective of accelerating the transition to
net zero through its investments. ORIT's ordinary shares were
admitted to the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority
and to trading on the main market of the London Stock Exchange on
10 December 2019.
The IPO raised total gross proceeds
of £350 million, and subsequently the Company raised an additional
£224 million of equity in two oversubscribed fundraisings held in
July 2021 and December 2021. As a result, ORIT has raised a total
of £574 million to date.
ORIT is managed by one of the
largest specialist renewable energy investors in Europe, Octopus
Energy Generation (the "Investment Manager").
Investment Strategy Overview
The full Investment Strategy and
Policy can be found on the Company's website and in its latest
Annual Report. ORIT seeks to achieve its objectives in four
ways:
Diversification of Renewable Assets
Inclusion of Construction and Development
Active Construction and Asset Management
Embedding Impact into Investments
Why we are different
01 Expert management
Our Investment Manager's team of
over 150 renewable specialists brings unrivalled
expertise
02
Diversified Portfolio
We manage risk and volatility
through geographic diversification across Europe and the UK and
technological diversification
03
Added Value
We seek to enhance returns and
promote additionality through active asset management and strategic
investment allocation, including construction and developer
assets
04
Unlocking Optionality
Our developer investments provide
access to a proprietary pipeline which we have the right, but not
the obligation to fund. This offers valuable optionality
05
Sustainable Investing
We prioritise Impact and ESG
factors across all our investments. ORIT is an SFDR Article 9
product, embodying sustainable practices
Highlights
For the six months ended 30 June
2024 (unaudited)
Financial highlights
-16.9%
|
-11.3%
|
+2.0%
|
+31.2%
|
Total YTD shareholder
return1, 2
(6 months to June 2023:
-4.9%)
|
Total shareholder return
since IPO (-2.6% per
annum)1, 2
(December 2023: +6.1%,
1.7% per annum)
|
YTD Net Asset Value
("NAV") total return1, 2, 3
(6 months to June 2023:
+0.9%3)
|
NAV total return since IPO
(+6.2% per annum)1, 2, 3
(December 2023: +28.6%,
6.4% per annum)
|
|
|
|
|
£593m
|
105.15p
|
£1,098m
|
£1,118m
|
NAV3
(December 2023: £599m)
|
NAV per Ordinary Share3
(December 2023: 106.0p)
|
Gross Asset Value
("GAV")1, 4
(December 2023: £980m)
|
Total value of all
investments1, 5
(December 2023: £1,127m)
|
|
|
|
|
£406m
|
3.01p
|
1.33x
|
4%
|
Market capitalisation as
at
30 June 2024
|
Dividend per Ordinary
Share for H1 2024 in line
with target8
|
H1
2024 Dividend cover6
|
2024 target dividend
growth vs 2023
|
(As at 31 December 2023:
£508m)
|
(FY 2023: 5.79p in line
with
target; FY 2024 target:
6.02p)
|
(6 months to June 2023:
1.09x)
|
(2023 vs 2022: 10.5%)
|
|
|
Note: The value of investments and
income from dividends can fluctuate, and there is a possibility
that investors may not recover the entire amount originally
invested.
|
46%
|
8.4%
|
Total leverage7
|
Dividend Yield^9
|
(December 2023: 39%)
|
(December 2023: 6.4%)
|
1 These are alternative
performance measures ("APMs").
2 Total returns in
sterling, including dividends reinvested.
3 Net Asset Value is the
total value of the Company's assets minus its liabilities. The Net
Asset Value per share is the Net Asset Value (£m) divided by the
total number of voting rights at 30 June 2024, being 563,726,574.
Following transactions since the beginning of the share buyback
programme to 30 June 2024, the Company held 1,200,962 shares in
Treasury.
4 "Gross Asset Value" means
the aggregate of (i) the fair value of the Company's underlying
investments (whether or not subsidiaries), valued on an unlevered
basis, (ii) the relevant assets and liabilities of the Company
(including cash) valued at fair value (other than third party
borrowings) to the extent not included in (i) or (ii)
above.
5 "Total value of all
investments" shall (i) be valued on an unlevered basis, (ii)
include amounts committed but not yet incurred and (iii) include
Cash and Cash Equivalents to the extent not already included in the
value of investments or amounts committed but not yet
incurred.
6 Dividend cover for H1
2024 is calculated on the basis of actual total net operational
cash flows from the portfolio after debt service and Company and
intermediate holding company expenses.
7 Total debt drawn
(short-term and long-term) as a percentage of Gross Asset
Value.
8 The dividend targets
stated are targets only and not profit forecasts. There can be no
assurance that these targets will be met, or that the Company will
make any distributions at all and they should not be taken as an
indication of the Company's expected future results. The Company's
actual returns will depend upon a number of factors, including but
not limited to the Company's net income and level of ongoing
charges. Accordingly, potential investors should not place any
reliance on these targets and should decide for themselves whether
or not the target dividend is reasonable or achievable. Investors
should note that references in this announcement to "dividends" and
"distributions" are intended to cover both dividend income and
income which is designated as an interest distribution for UK tax
purposes and therefore subject to the interest streaming regime
applicable to investment trusts.
9 Dividend Yield is
calculated by dividing the target annual dividend per share of
6.02p for FY 2024 by the market share price as at 30 June
2024.
Operational and ESG highlights
41
|
5
|
808MW
|
Number of assets as at
30
June 202410
(at 30-Jun 2023: 38)
|
Number of technologies11
(at 30-Jun 2023: 5)
|
Capacity owned as at
30
June 202410
(at 30-Jun 2023: 668MW)
|
|
|
|
ACTUAL12
|
|
|
605GWh
|
150k
|
147k
|
Renewable electricity generated in
H1
2024
(H1 2023:
628GWh)14
|
Estimated equivalent tonnes of CO2 avoided in H1
2024
(H1 2023: not reported)
|
Estimated equivalent homes
powered for a year
(H1 2023: not reported)
|
|
|
|
POTENTIAL13
|
|
|
1,394GWh
|
383k
|
359k
|
Potential annual renewable
electricity generated once fully operational
|
Estimated equivalent tonnes of CO2 avoided once
fully operational
|
Estimated equivalent homes powered for a year once fully
operational
|
(at 31-Dec 2023:
1,569GWh)
|
(at 31-Dec 2023: 400k)
|
(at 31-Dec 2023: 384k)
|
10 Including the 5 Developer investments
and Ljungbyholm onshore wind farm in Sweden for which the sale was
completed post period. It excludes Harlockstown, the fifth site
within the Ballymacarney solar complex in Ireland, currently under
conditional acquisition. Each developer investment is counted
as a single asset.
11 Including technologies for
operational and construction stage assets and technologies covered
through developer investments: onshore wind, offshore wind, solar,
battery storage and hydrogen.
12 "Actual" KPIs take into account GWh
generated by the portfolio during the reporting period and includes
generation from the Ljungbyholm onshore wind farm for which the
sale was completed post period. Calculation methodologies for
"equivalent" KPIs can be found in
ORIT's 2024 ESG and Impact
Strategy.
13 All metrics are calculated based on
an estimated annual renewable energy generation of the investment
portfolio once fully operational (including the fifth Irish site
under conditional acquisition and excluding the Ljungbyholm onshore
wind farm for which the sale was completed post period and post
publication of the Q2 factsheet) and on the basis of ORIT's equity
stake. For more information on calculation methodologies, please
refer to
ORIT's 2024 ESG and Impact
Strategy.
14 Restated from 2023 Interim
Report.
Company results summary
As
at
|
30-Jun 24
|
30-Jun
23
|
30-Jun
22
|
30-Jun
21
|
30-Jun
20
|
Share Price
|
72.0p
|
92.5p
|
108.0p
|
104.6p
|
112.2p
|
NAV
|
£593m
|
£608m
|
£628m
|
£341m
|
£342m
|
NAV per share
|
105.2p
|
107.7p
|
111.1p
|
97.3p
|
97.6p
|
Total shareholder return
(on a 12-month basis)
|
-16.4%
|
-9.8%
|
8.2%
|
-3.0%
|
12.2%
|
Total shareholder return since IPO
|
-11.3%
|
6.1%
|
17.7%
|
8.8%
|
12.2%
|
NAV total return
(on a 12-month basis)
|
3.2%
|
1.9%
|
20.1%
|
4.4%
|
-0.4%.
|
NAV total return since IPO
|
31.2%
|
27.1%
|
24.8%
|
3.9%
|
-0.4%
|
Portfolio at a glance
Total number of
assets 15
41
Total
capacity15
808 MW
15 Including the 5 Developer investments
and Ljungbyholm onshore wind farm in Sweden for which the sale was
completed post period. It excludes Harlockstown, the fifth site
within the Ballymacarney solar complex in Ireland, currently under
conditional acquisition. Each developer investment is counted
as a single asset.
Portfolio overview
Technology
|
Country
|
Sites
|
Capacity
pro-rated by ownership (MW)
|
Average asset life remaining
(years)
|
Status
|
Key
information
|
Onshore wind
|
Sweden
|
1
|
48
|
27.0
|
Operational
|
Sale
completed post period
|
France
|
1
|
24
|
28.4
|
Operational
|
French
CfD
|
UK
|
1
|
50
|
28.7
|
Operational
|
Corporate
PPA
|
UK
|
1
|
23
|
27.0
|
Operational
|
Fixed
pricing until 2025 and Corporate PPA from Q2 2025
|
Germany
|
1
|
35
|
28.2
|
Operational
|
German
CfD
|
Finland
|
2
|
71
|
27.3
|
Operational
|
Fixed
pricing until end of 2025
|
Offshore wind
|
UK
|
1
|
42
|
24.5
|
Operational
|
ROC
Subsidised
|
Solar
|
UK
|
8
|
123
|
23.9
|
Operational
|
ROC
Subsidised
|
UK
|
1
|
67
|
40.0
|
Operational
|
Operational as of Q2 2024
|
France
|
14
|
120
|
27.9
|
Operational
|
FiT
Subsidised
|
Ireland
|
4
|
199
|
39.5
|
Operational16
|
Corporate
PPA
|
Ireland
|
1
|
42
|
40.0
|
Conditional Acquisition
|
Extension
site expected to be acquired in Q3 2024
|
Battery
|
UK
|
1
|
6
|
35.0
|
Construction
|
Expected
to be operational
in Q1 2025
|
Developers
|
Ireland
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
Developer
|
Floating
offshore wind
|
UK
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
Development pipeline
|
Onshore
wind
|
UK
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
Developer
|
Hydrogen
|
UK
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
Exclusive
development services agreement
|
Solar/co-located battery storage
|
Finland
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
Exclusive
development services agreement
|
Onshore
wind/solar
|
16 199MW of construction have been
completed while under conditional acquisition status; ORIT has
actively provided oversight of the construction.
Chair's Statement
Philip Austin MBE
Chair,
Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust plc
On behalf of the Board, I am
pleased to present this interim report for Octopus Renewables
Infrastructure Trust plc for the six months ended 30 June 2024 (the
"Interim Report").
Continuing the pattern seen across
last year, the six-month period has seen renewable energy
investment trusts, including ORIT, trading at discounts to their
Net Asset Value (NAV). Share price performance has been
disappointing, however the past few months have seen some positive
developments for the renewables investment trust sector. With
inflation back at or close to target levels, the Bank of England's
recent base interest rate cut in August from 5.25% to 5.0% was the
first rate reduction in the UK in over four years. This has been
seen as a positive step by many in the financial sector, with
further cuts expected in the coming months. We would expect falling
interest rates to drive lower bond yields and for returns from
investment trusts to become relatively more attractive, thereby
easing the difficult conditions under which the investment trust
sector as a whole has been operating. The above-NAV asset sales
achieved by ORIT and several of our peers demonstrate that the
share price has not been representative of the fundamental value of
the assets, and we hope that macro-economic factors will become a
less dominant influence on the share price. We expect this process
to take some time, but combined with the supportive environment for
renewables in Europe in general (and in particular in the UK
following the early announcements from the new Labour government),
we are optimistic about the huge potential for the green energy
sector.
Results
During the 6 months to 30 June
2024, the Company delivered a NAV total return of 2.0%. Despite
this, total shareholder return over the same period was -16.9%, as
share prices across the sector remain at a significant discount to
holding NAVs.
The Company's NAV fell slightly
from £599.0 million (106.0 pence per Ordinary share) to £592.8
million (105.2 pence per Ordinary share). The movement in NAV
during the period was primarily driven by the cash movements at the
Company level, which included dividends paid in the period and
holding company costs including RCF financing costs. These
movements were substantially offset by the return on the portfolio
of assets after adjusting for operational performance, as well
as positive movements at the portfolio level related to power
prices and green certificates, macroeconomic changes, and the
positive impact of the Crossdykes PPA and the sale of the
Ljungbyholm wind farm.
The Company's operating income for
the period was £14.6 million (inclusive of -£4.1 million movement
in fair value of investments), giving rise to a profit for the
period of £11.3 million. This was underpinned by EBITDA from the
portfolio of operational assets totalling £45.3 million,
arising from gross revenues of £68.7 million.
Dividends
The Company made two dividend
payments totalling 3.01 pence per ordinary share for H1 2024,
reaching exactly half of its FY 2024 dividend target of 6.02 pence
per ordinary share. This is an increase of 4.0% over FY 2023's
dividend and is in line with the increase to the Consumer Price
Index (CPI) for the 12 months to 31 December 2023. It marks the
third consecutive year the Company has chosen to increase its
dividend target in line with inflation. The FY 2024 dividend target
is expected to be fully covered by cashflows generated from the
Company's operating portfolio.
Portfolio performance
During H1 2024, the Company's
assets generated 605GWh of renewable electricity, -17% (-126GWh)
below the budget of 732GWh. When accounting for compensation from
curtailments and other events, the adjusted production post
compensation is 651GWh, only -11% (-81GWh) vs budget. The
underperformance was primarily due to lower than expected onshore
wind speeds (-35GWh) and solar irradiance (-10GWh).
Revenues of £68.7 million were
achieved in the period, 6% below budget and total EBITDA across the
operating portfolio totalled £45.3 million, 8% below budget, driven
by the lower than budgeted production.
Share buyback programme
In June 2024, noting the
significant discount at which the Company's shares had been trading
compared to their NAV, the Company initiated a share buyback
programme with an initial tranche of up to £10 million. As at 30
June 2024, the Company held 1,200,962 shares in Treasury, which
were bought by ORIT for c.£0.9 million at an average price of
73.48 pence per Ordinary Share.
The repurchases of Ordinary Shares
at a discount to NAV has resulted in an increase in NAV per
Ordinary Share as at 30 June 2024 of +0.07 pence per Ordinary
Share. Share buybacks have continued post Period, and the Board is
monitoring the impact of the share buyback programme and will make
a decision on the continuation of it in due course.
Investment activity and capital recycling
A key focus for ORIT during the
period has been on the ongoing capital recycling programme that was
initiated in 2023. In July 2024 (post period) the Company announced
the sale of Ljungbyholm onshore wind farm in Sweden which was
completed in August, marking the third milestone of the programme.
The sale delivered an IRR of 11.3% over the lifetime of the
investment and a valuation uplift of £0.8 million or +0.14 pence
per Ordinary Share above the Investment Manager's internal
valuation as at 30 June 2024. The transaction provides further
evidence that the current share price discount to NAV is not
reflective of the underlying value of the Company's
assets.
Following the completion of the
Ljungbyholm sale, the capital recycling programme has generated
proceeds of approximately £161 million. The proceeds from this most
recent sale (€73.7 million) have been used primarily to repay
short-term borrowings, and reduce the Company's overall LTV. Other
capital recycling projects remain in progress.
While the repayment of short-term
borrowings remains a strong capital allocation priority for the
Company, selective new investments are being pursued. During the
first half of 2024, a £5.9 million follow-on investment was made
into Simply Blue Group, one of ORIT's developer stakes, as part of
its most recent funding round.
Investments in developers of this
nature remain a key strategic priority for the Company. Firstly,
they offer access to future pipeline projects into which ORIT can
invest. Secondly, the Company anticipates higher returns from these
developer investments, which in turn will enhance overall portfolio
returns for investors.
Additionally, during the period,
ORIT completed the acquisition of the first four newly-constructed
solar sites totalling 199MW in Dublin, Ireland (the Ballymacarney
solar complex).
Construction and development
In H1 2024, the Company completed
the construction of the 67MW Breach solar farm in the UK, which is
now the second largest solar site in ORIT's portfolio after Fidorfe
(68MW, part of the Ballymacarney solar complex), representing 13%
of ORIT's solar capacity as at 30 June 2024.
As at 30 June 2024, the
construction of the 42MW Harlockstown extension to the
Ballymacarney solar complex had been completed. Under a similar
conditional agreement to the first four sites, Harlockstown will be
acquired once all commissioning tests have been completed which is
expected to occur during Q3 2024. With this fifth site, the
Ballymacarney solar complex totals 241MW. We are proud that this
flagship investment is currently the largest solar complex in
Ireland, and that it will meet around 2.5% of the national solar
target of 8GW by 2030.
The construction of Woburn Road
battery storage site (a 12MW/24MWh site in which ORIT has a 50%
stake) is progressing. The construction costs are being financed by
ORIT's joint venture partner, Sky, another fund managed by OEGEN.
ORIT has an option to catch-up on construction costs up to May
2025, a decision that will be considered as part of the future
capital allocation strategy.
Additionally, ORIT's portfolio of
developer investments and development stage pipeline continues to
strengthen with a multitude of renewable energy projects being
advanced across the wind, solar and hydrogen sectors.
The Board is conscious that ORIT's
portfolio has become heavily weighted towards operational assets.
Construction remains a core focus for the Company, both for the
higher returns it can offer through capital growth, and for the
greater impact it provides through bringing new renewable
generation onto the grid. Subject to broader capital allocation
considerations, it is expected that future investment activity will
prioritise rebalancing the portfolio towards construction assets as
well as potential further investments into developers.
Revenue management and optimisation
During the period, the Company
signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) for Crossdykes onshore wind
farm with Sky UK (the media and telecoms corporation), set to
commence in April 2025. This agreement secures a CPI-linked fixed
price for 69% of Crossdykes' production, resulting in a NAV uplift
versus the merchant power price case. As at 30 June 2024, ORIT's
portfolio benefits from five corporate PPAs with Owens Corning
(Ljungbyholm wind farm - this site was sold post period), Kimberley
Clark (Cumberhead wind farm), Microsoft (Ballymacarney solar
complex), Iceland Foods (Breach solar farm) and Sky UK (Crossdykes
wind farm). Four of these corporate PPAs were originated in-house
by the Investment Manager. Overall, with other fixed-price
contracts and subsidies, ORIT's portfolio has 84% of its revenues
fixed for the next two years and 86% post the sale of the Swedish
onshore wind farm. In addition, 48% of revenues are
inflation-linked for the next 10 years (50% post the Swedish
sale).
Impact highlights
In 2024, ORIT remains committed to
driving forward its operations and activities in alignment with its
ESG & Impact Strategy. In the first half of the year, c.150 kt
CO2 emissions were avoided across the portfolio. Once
the portfolio is fully operational, it is expected to generate
sufficient electricity to avoid c.383 kt CO2 per annum,
the equivalent of planting 1.9 million trees and powering 359
thousand homes per annum. This is enough to provide electricity to
approximately 10% of all the homes in London. ORIT also continues
to work with its impact partners such as Earth Energy Education and
BizGive to deliver additional initiatives. The budget for these
initiatives is drawn from ORIT's dedicated annual impact budget,
which stands at £340,000 for 2024. This is in addition to the
£1,023,000 allocated as community benefit funds for certain ORIT
assets. These initiatives included more site visits to ORIT's
assets, inspiring the next generation with hands-on learning
experiences about renewable energy. Reflecting on our collaboration
with BizGive over the past three years, we have significantly
contributed to positive environmental outcomes beyond the provision
of renewable energy, including initiatives that drive climate
action, promote clean energy, facilitate energy efficiency, and
support the circular economy. As we prepare for the distribution of
ORIT's fourth impact programme with BizGive and the remaining
distribution of ORIT's annual impact budget, we remain committed to
building on these successes and driving further impact.
Outlook and conclusion
The Board is encouraged by signs
that the challenging macroeconomic conditions, which have acted as
a headwind to the investment trust sector for many months, are
beginning to ease. Despite the continued difficulties in the
financing environment during H1 2024, European investment in
renewables has remained robust, with $34 billion invested across
the EU-27, aligning with levels seen in the previous two
periods17. This underscores the sector's ability to
progress with impactful energy transition investments, supported by
a favourable political and regulatory environment.
ORIT's diversified portfolio has
performed relatively robustly, and the capital recycling programme
is delivering on its dual aims of facilitating the repayment of
short-term debt and supporting asset valuations. Moving forward,
ORIT remains committed to investing in real assets that contribute
positively to global renewable energy targets, while delivering
healthy risk-adjusted returns to our investors. Since our IPO in
2019, the Company has provided an inflation-linked dividend and
a Net Asset Value total return of +31.2%.
Meanwhile, the requirements for
impactful investment into the energy transition remain in place,
with a supportive political and regulatory environment also firmly
present. The Board therefore sees an encouraging future outlook for
both the Company and the renewable energy sector as a whole, with
continued focus on delivering sustainable value to our
investors.
Philip Austin MBE
Chair
Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust plc
13 September 2024
17
Source: BNEF Renewable Energy Investment Tracker
2H 2024, published 27 Aug 2024.
Investment Manager's Report
Investment Manager: Octopus Energy
Generation
Octopus Energy Generation ("OEGEN",
trading name of Octopus Renewables Limited), part of the Octopus
Energy Group, is a specialist clean energy investment manager with
a mission to accelerate the transition to a future powered by
renewable energy.
£6.7bn
|
20
|
>4.2GW
|
£2.7bn
|
>150
|
OEGEN AUM as at 30 June
202418
|
countries invested in since
201018
|
capacity managed
|
Solar & wind
construction18
|
Renewable Energy
Professionals
|
18
Assets under management defined as the sum of
Gross Asset Value and capital committed to existing investments and
signed (yet to be completed) deals and excludes capital available,
yet to be deployed. Number of countries includes countries of
assets under management, countries in which asset investments have
been exited, countries of head offices of developer company
investments, and countries of presence for OEGEN origination teams.
Solar & wind construction* is defined as total committed costs
of assets either currently in construction or constructed under
OEGEN management. Some of these assets are now operational within
the portfolio.
Company Developments and Capital Allocation
1
|
£5.9 million
|
£97 million
|
New investment made during the period
|
Total allocated capital to new investments in the
period
|
Total proceeds from capital recycling initiatives since
launch
|
Follow-on investment into developer
Simply Blue Group
|
|
£161 million including post period
end sale of Ljungbyholm wind farm
|
£1,118 million
|
Up
to £10 million
|
46% leverage (as % of GAV)
|
Total value of all
investments19
|
Share buyback programme launched in
June 2024 with an initial tranche of up to £10 million
|
As at 30-Jun 2024, vs 39%
31-Dec 202320
|
19
Leverage as at the date of publication of this
report is 42.7% following the sale of Ljungbyholm wind farm prior
to approximately £30 million of committed investments due to be
made in 2024, the majority of which relates to the acquisition of
the fifth site at the Ballymacarney solar complex in
Ireland.
20
Total asset value including total debt and equity
commitments.
Company Developments during H1 2024
Portfolio activity and capital recycling
199MW Irish Solar
|
Signing of Crossdykes wind PPA with Sky UK, commencing in
April 2025
|
Simply Blue Group,
follow-on investment
|
Post-period sale of 48MW Ljungbyholm onshore wind farm,
Sweden
|
Completion of conditional
acquisition of four newly constructed Irish solar sites
100% stake
Largest solar complex in Ireland
|
The PPA is NAV-accretive when
compared with the power price assumptions included in the NAV and
resulted in an uplift of £5.5 million.
Secured CPI-linked fixed price for
69% of Crossdykes' production. Forecast £43million revenue
(pro-rata for ORIT's stake) across the 10-year tenor of the PPA,
increasing ORIT's fixed proportion of forecast revenue on a 2-year
look forward basis by 1 percentage point and the forecast
inflation-linked revenue on a 10-year look forward basis by 2
percentage points.
|
Invested €7 million (£5.9 million)
in floating offshore wind and sustainable fuels developer in latest
funding round
19% stake
|
The sale completed in August 2024
and ORIT realised an IRR of 11.3% over the lifetime of its
investment.
|
Construction
|
|
Impact highlights
|
|
67MW
|
42MW
|
£340,000
|
£1,023,000
|
Construction completed at Breach
solar farm in the UK
|
Construction completed at
Harlockstown solar farm in Ireland. Commissioning tests on this
fifth site at the Ballymacarney solar complex are expected to be
completed in Q3 2024. The site will be acquired once operational
tests are complete.
|
FY 2024 Impact budget
|
Funding for local communities for
specific projects21
|
21
Separate to the £340,000 Impact budget.
Capital recycling programme
ORIT's capital recycling programme,
initiated in 2023 as part of a broader capital allocation strategy,
has continued to be a key focus during this period. The primary
objectives of the programme are to release capital to repay
short-term borrowings, and to provide evidence for the Company's
project NAVs being fair whilst retaining a suitably diversified
portfolio.
Since its inception, the programme
has completed three transactions generating c.£161 million in total
proceeds, including the proceeds of €73.7 million from the
post-period sale of the Swedish onshore wind farm which was
completed in August 2024.
The assets included in the
recycling programme have been carefully selected to ensure the
portfolio remains aligned with the Company's objectives and
balanced in terms of geographical and technology split. While the
programme is ongoing, ORIT has to date accomplished the following
components:
The outcomes of the capital
recycling programme validate ORIT's asset valuations, indicating
that the share price discount to NAV does not accurately reflect
the Company's intrinsic value.
The capital recycling programme
remains in progress and the Company will provide any update in due
course.
|
Post-period Sale of Swedish onshore wind farm (post
period)
|
Exit of Spanish solar projects option
|
Sale of Polish onshore
wind farms
|
MW
capacity
|
48MW
|
175MW
|
59MW
|
Details
|
ORIT completed the sale of the
Ljungbyholm onshore wind farm in Sweden. ORIT acquired the asset in
March 2020 and managed the construction phase, successfully
bringing the wind farm into operation in June 2021.
|
ORIT elected to terminate its
option to acquire 175MW of ready-to-build solar projects in
Spain.
|
ORIT completed the sale of the
Krzecin and Kuslin onshore wind farms in Poland. ORIT acquired the
assets when they were in construction in October 2021, before
managing the construction and bringing the wind farms into
operation in 2022.
|
Exit date
|
August 2024
|
December 2023
|
December 2023
|
Rationale
|
'Sweet spot' size asset for a large
pool of investors, combined with strong operational performance and
reduction in exposure to Nordic power prices.
|
Opportunity to exit at the agreed
price was attractive on a risk-adjusted basis, taking into account
the construction commitment to deliver the projects.
|
Highly attractive purchase price
offer was received, from a deliverable counterparty with
demonstrable motivation to transact quickly.
|
Buyer
|
Financial buyer, DWS Infrastruktur
Europa
|
Original developer, Spanish
affiliate of Chinese power company
|
Strategic buyer, affiliate of the
Polish-based listed multi-energy company, Orlen S.A.
|
Proceeds
|
c.£63.8 million
|
c.£4.7 million
|
c.£92 million
|
NAV uplift vs holding value
|
+0.1 pence per Ordinary Share NAV uplift
vs holding value at 30 Jun
2024
|
+0.3 pence per Ordinary Share NAV uplift
vs holding value at 30 Sep
2023
|
+2.8 pence per Ordinary Share NAV uplift
vs holding value at 30 Sep
2023
|
Return over lifetime of investment
|
c.11% IRR
over the lifetime of ORIT's
investment
|
+0.5 pence per Ordinary Share total NAV
uplift
over the lifetime of ORIT's
investment
|
c.30% IRR
over the lifetime of ORIT's
investment
|
Portfolio Breakdown (as at 30
June 2024)
|
|
|
Whole site
|
|
|
Remaining
|
|
|
|
|
capacity
|
|
Start of
|
asset life
|
|
Technology
|
Country
|
Site name
|
(MW)
|
Phase
|
operations
|
(years)
|
Stake %
|
Onshore wind
|
UK
|
Cumberhead
|
50
|
Operational
|
31/03/2023
|
29
|
100%
|
|
France
|
Cerisou
|
24
|
Operational
|
15/11/2022
|
28
|
100%
|
|
Sweden
|
Ljungbyholm
|
48
|
Operational
|
30/06/2021
|
27
|
100%
|
|
|
Saunamaa
|
34
|
Operational
|
28/08/2021
|
27
|
100%
|
|
Finland
|
Suolokangas
|
38
|
Operational
|
29/12/2021
|
27
|
100%
|
|
Germany
|
Leeskow
|
35
|
Operational
|
30/09/2022
|
28
|
100%
|
|
UK
|
Crossdykes
|
46
|
Operational
|
30/06/2021
|
27
|
51%
|
Offshore wind
|
UK
|
Lincs
|
270
|
Operational
|
31/10/2013
|
25
|
15.5%
|
Solar
|
UK
|
Wilburton 2 (Mingay)
|
19
|
Operational
|
29/03/2014
|
20
|
100%
|
|
|
Abbots Ripton
|
25
|
Operational
|
28/03/2014
|
30
|
100%
|
|
|
Ermine Street
|
32
|
Operational
|
29/07/2014
|
20
|
100%
|
|
|
Penhale
|
4
|
Operational
|
08/03/2013
|
29
|
100%
|
|
|
Chisbon
|
12
|
Operational
|
03/05/2015
|
26
|
100%
|
|
|
Westerfield
|
13
|
Operational
|
25/03/2015
|
21
|
100%
|
|
|
Wiggin Hill
|
11
|
Operational
|
10/03/2015
|
16
|
100%
|
|
|
Ottringham
|
6
|
Operational
|
07/08/2013
|
30
|
100%
|
|
|
Breach
|
67
|
Operational
|
25/06/2024
|
40
|
100%
|
|
France
|
Charleval
|
6
|
Operational
|
26/03/2013
|
29
|
100%
|
|
|
Cuges
|
7
|
Operational
|
17/04/2013
|
29
|
100%
|
|
|
Istres
|
8
|
Operational
|
18/06/2013
|
29
|
100%
|
|
|
La Verdière
|
6
|
Operational
|
27/06/2013
|
29
|
100%
|
|
|
Brignoles
|
5
|
Operational
|
26/06/2013
|
29
|
100%
|
|
|
Saint Antonin du Var
|
8
|
Operational
|
28/11/2013
|
29
|
100%
|
|
|
Chalmoux
|
10
|
Operational
|
01/08/2013
|
29
|
100%
|
|
|
lovi 1
|
6
|
Operational
|
17/07/2014
|
30
|
100%
|
|
|
lovi 3
|
6
|
Operational
|
17/07/2014
|
30
|
100%
|
|
|
Fontienne
|
10
|
Operational
|
02/07/2015
|
31
|
100%
|
|
|
Ollieres 1
|
12
|
Operational
|
19/03/2015
|
31
|
100%
|
|
|
Ollieres 2
|
11
|
Operational
|
19/03/2015
|
31
|
100%
|
|
|
Arsac 2
|
12
|
Operational
|
05/03/2015
|
18
|
100%
|
|
|
Arsac 5
|
12
|
Operational
|
30/01/2015
|
18
|
100%
|
|
Ireland
|
Ballymacarney 22
|
54
|
Operational
|
18/12/2023
|
39
|
100%
|
|
|
Fidorfe 22
|
68
|
Operational
|
18/12/2023
|
39
|
100%
|
|
|
Muckerstown 22
|
48
|
Operational
|
18/12/2023
|
39
|
100%
|
|
|
Kilsallaghan 22
|
29
|
Operational
|
18/12/2023
|
39
|
100%
|
|
|
Harlockstown 22
|
42
|
Conditional acquisition
|
-
|
40
|
100%
|
Battery
|
UK
|
Woburn Road
|
12
|
Construction
|
-
|
35
|
50%
|
Developer
|
UK (HQ)
|
Wind 2
|
-
|
Developer
|
-
|
-
|
25%
|
|
UK (HQ)
|
HYRO
|
-
|
Developer
|
-
|
-
|
25%
|
|
Ireland (HQ)
|
Simply Blue
|
-
|
Developer
|
-
|
-
|
19%
|
|
Finland (HQ)
|
Norgen
|
-
|
Developer
|
-
|
-
|
50%
|
|
UK (HQ)
|
BLCe serviced platform
|
-
|
Developer
|
-
|
-
|
100%
|
22 The first four sites listed in
Ireland are sometimes (in this report and elsewhere) collectively
referred to as 'the Ballymacarney solar complex'. The fifth
site, Harlockstown, is currently under conditional acquisition and
will be part of the complex once acquired.
Portfolio Breakdown (as at 30
June 2024)
509MW
|
251MW
|
42MW
|
6MW
|
Across 27 solar
plants23
|
Across 7 onshore wind farms,
including Ljungbyholm (Sweden)
|
Across 1 offshore
wind farm
|
Across 1 battery storage
plant
|
5
|
84%
|
48%
|
|
Investments in
Developers
|
Fixed revenue for the next two
years 86% post Swedish onshore wind sale
|
Inflation-linked revenue for the
next ten years 50% post Swedish onshore wind sale
|
|
23 Excludes Harlockstown which is a
conditional acquisition.
The figure above shows the
portfolio composition broken down by total value of all investments
in accordance with the Company's investment policy as at 30 June
2024 (including the amount committed to the conditional acquisition
of the Irish solar PV and Ljungbyholm onshore wind farm in Sweden
for which the sale was completed post period). The investments are
valued on an unlevered basis and including amounts committed but
not yet incurred. Note that the sums may not add up due to
rounding.
£1,118m
Total value of all
investments
Figure 4: Portfolio composition
broken down by MW of capacity pro rata for ORIT's ownership
(including the capacity of construction assets and Ljungbyholm
onshore wind farm in Sweden for which the sale was completed post
period) on a current invested basis as at 30 June 2024 (and
therefore excluding the Irish solar assets under conditional
acquisition).
Figure 5: Portfolio composition
broken down by offtaker and O&M providers as a percentage of
total value of all investments24
24 Npower/Axpo: Sites sell ROCs and
power to NPower but also have a price-fixing arrangement with
Axpo.
£1,118m
Total value of all
investments
Country
UK: 40%
Ireland: 17%
France: 15%
Finland: 11%
Germany: 6%
Sweden: 5%
Developer: 4%
Technology
Solar: 44%
Onshore wind: 39%
Offshore wind: 13%
Developer: 4%
Battery storage: 0.04%
Asset phase
Operational: 96%
Construction: 0.04%
Developer: 4%
Portfolio composition broken down
by MW of capacity pro rata for ORIT's ownership (including the
capacity of construction assets and Ljungbyholm onshore wind farm
in Sweden for which the sale was completed post period) on a
current invested basis as at 30 June 2024 (and therefore excluding
the Irish solar assets under conditional acquisition).
808MW
Capacity owned
Country
UK: 39%
Ireland: 25%
France: 18%
Finland: 9%
Sweden: 6%
Germany: 4%
Technology
Solar: 63%
Onshore wind: 31%
Offshore wind: 5%
Battery storage: 1%
Asset phase
Operational: 99%
Construction: 1%
Portfolio composition broken down
by offtaker and O&M providers as a percentage of total value of
all investments24£1,118m
Total value of all
investments
Offtaker
Microsoft: 17%
EDF: 16%
British Gas: 13%
Esti Energi: 11%
Npower/Axpo: 7%
Kimberly Clark: 7%
Alpix: 6%
Owens Corning: 5%
Iceland Foods: 5%
N/A: 4%
OE: 4%
Sky Media: 4%
Having multiple offtakers offers
advantages such as risk diversification and offers local expertise
in ORIT's key geographical markets.
O&M provider
Nordex: 22%
Statkraft: 17%
Orsted: 13%
Engie: 11%
Vestas: 11%
PSH: 6%
RES: 5%
SGRE: 5%
Goldbeck: 5%
N/A: 4%
BayWa 1%
A diversified group of O&M
providers allows ORIT to leverage competitive pricing and
specialised expertise.
24
Npower/Axpo: Sites sell ROCs and power to NPower
but also have a price-fixing arrangement with Axpo.
Portfolio performance
Operational portfolio technical and financial
performance
During the six-month period ORIT
successfully completed the acquisition of four newly constructed
solar farms located in Ireland and the construction of Breach solar
farm in the UK.25
This section reports on the
performance of the Company's underlying operational investments and
Figure 6 shows the metrics
which form part of the Alternative Performance Measures.
In the six month period ending 30
June 2024, the Company's operational portfolio generated 605GWh (30
June 2023: 628GWh)26 of electricity, 17% below
expectations (-126GWh vs budget of 732GWh) predominantly due to
unfavourable wind speeds and grid curtailments which impacted
performance across the onshore wind assets. The adjusted production
post compensations from curtailments and other events is 651GWh,
-11% vs budget.
Revenues of £68.7 million were
achieved in the period (30 June 2023: £61.7 million), 6% below
budget and total EBITDA across the operating portfolio totalled
£45.3 million, 8% below budget (30 June 2023: £40.7
million).
Figure 6: Performance of Company's underlying operational
investments
|
Output
|
Revenue
|
Opex
|
EBITDA
|
Operational
|
605GWh
|
£68.7m
|
£23.4m
|
£45.3m
|
portfolio
|
-17% vs budget
|
-6% vs budget
|
-2% below budget
|
-8% vs budget
|
|
-4% vs 2023
|
+11% vs 2023
|
10% increase vs 2023
|
+11% vs 2023
|
|
(H1 2023:
628GWh)26
|
(H1 2023: £61.7m)
|
(H1 2023: £21.2m)
|
(H1 2023: £40.7m)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Solar
|
209GWh
|
£25.0m
|
£6.5m
|
£18.5m
|
|
-9% vs budget
|
-7% vs budget
|
-2% below budget
|
-8% vs budget
|
|
(H1 2023: 146GWh)
|
(H1 2023: £18.1m)
|
(H1 2023: £4.3m)
|
(H1 2023: £13.8m)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Onshore wind
|
312GWh
|
£22.7m
|
£5.3m
|
£17.4m
|
|
-26% vs budget
|
-12% vs budget
|
-12% below budget
|
-11% vs budget
|
|
(H1 2023: 409GWh)
|
(H1 2023: £24.2m)
|
(H1 2023: £5.4m)
|
(H1 2023: £18.8m)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Offshore wind
|
84GWh
|
£21.0m
|
£11.6m
|
£9.4m
|
|
+3% vs budget
|
+3% vs budget
|
+3% above budget
|
+3% vs budget
|
|
(H1 2023:
73GWh)26
|
(H1 2023: £19.1m)
|
(H1 2023: £11.0m)
|
(H1 2023: £8.1m)
|
Note: Totals may not add up due to
rounding
25
The Breach solar farm became operational at the end of June
2024 and therefore its contribution to these results is
minimal.
26
Restated from 2023 Interim Report.
Solar
Production:
ORIT's solar portfolio (27 sites
across the UK, Ireland and France) generated 209GWh during H1 2024,
-9% (-21GWh) vs budget of 230GWh. This is a significant increase
from H1 2023 (H1 2023: 146GWh), owing to the fact that in the
period, the Company acquired the first four sites of the
Ballymacarney solar complex in Ireland, which together generated
76GWh, 36% of the solar portfolio output.
48% of the production losses were
due to lower irradiance in Ireland and France (-10GWh). The
remaining 11GWh of underperformance was attributable to a range of
factors, including cable thefts at two sites in France (-2GWh) for
which ORIT is negotiating 100% recovery under the O&M
agreement, alongside curtailment at Ballymacarney (-1GWh) and a
reconnection delay at the Saint-Antonin-du-Var ("SADV") site
(-1GWh) as site repowering works following the fire in 2023 took
longer than expected to complete. The panels are being replaced by
better performing alternatives, completion of which is expected in
Q4 2024. The Company anticipates a generation uplift of 7-10%, a
+0.8GWh estimated uplift per year. The incremental output at the
site from the upgraded panels will over the course of around 8
years generate the production that was lost during the downtime.
Other factors in part include growth of lichen at two sites in
France (-1GWh) negatively impacting site efficiency, which is
expected to be resolved in the coming months.
Revenues and EBITDA:
The solar portfolio generated
revenues of £25.0 million, -7% vs budget (£26.9 million) for the
6-month period. This includes £0.4 million received in respect of
insured recoveries on the SADV fire event previously reported.
Excluding the insurance recoveries relating to 2023, received in
the period, 78% (£1.8 million) of the total revenue variance
arising in the 6-month period (£1.9 million) related to under
production, with the remaining 22% (£0.5 million) arising due to
falling power prices in the UK (the French and Irish solar
portfolios benefit from 100% fixed revenues under feed-in-tariffs
and a corporate PPA respectively).
Operating expenditure amounted to
£6.5 million, 2% favourable to budget (£6.6 million) and the
resulting EBITDA was £18.5 million, -8% vs budget (£20.3 million)
as a consequence of the lower revenues achieved.
Figure 7 on page 20 of the Interim
Report shows the solar output variance to budget (GWh) in H1
2024 with the GWh impact of the items listed above and other
technical performance variances.
Onshore wind
Production:
As at 30 June 2024, ORIT's onshore
wind portfolio (7 sites across 4 countries in Europe, including the
Swedish asset for which the sale was completed post period)
generated 312GWh of renewable electricity during H1 2024, -26%
(-108GWh) vs budget of 421GWh.
Net of the estimated compensated
production for economic curtailments resulting from negative
pricing periods and the UK Balancing Mechanism, the adjusted
production for the period is 355GWh (+14% vs actual production,
-16% or ‑66GWh vs budget). Curtailments of the two Scottish wind
sites have been compensated through Balancing Mechanism payments
from National Grid, and the other sites (mainly the two Finnish
wind farms) have been compensated through contractual protections
in their PPAs.
Wind resource was lower than
projected for the period, particularly in March and May 2024, which
was the main contributor to the 66GWh production underperformance,
responsible for 43% of the variance (-29GWh). The sites that have
been most affected by lower wind speeds were Cumberhead and the two
sites in Finland.
The main contributors to the
remaining underperformance were main bearing failures at the two
Finnish sites (-12MWh) - see case studies below for further detail
- and early life teething issues at Cumberhead (-9GWh) which have
since been resolved. ORIT expects the majority of this lost
production at the three sites to be compensated under the turbine
O&M agreements, and negotiations are ongoing.
Revenues and EBITDA:
The onshore wind portfolio
delivered a total revenue of £22.7 million for the six-month
period, -12% vs budget (£25.6 million). Lower-than-expected
production was the driver behind the revenue decrease vs budget
(£4.4 million), this was partially offset through receipt of grid
and economic curtailment compensations across the sites (£1.5
million).
Operational expenditure totalled
£5.3 million, 12% favourable to budget (£6.0 million); the key
factor being Cumberhead securing full business rates relief for the
2024/25 year (£0.6 million). The resulting EBITDA was £17.4
million, -11% vs budget (£19.7 million), due to the lower than
anticipated revenues.
Figure 8 on page 21 of the Interim
Report shows the onshore wind output variance to budget (GWh) in H1
2024 with the GWh impact of the items listed above and other
technical performance variances.
Offshore wind
Production:
The offshore wind portfolio (made
up entirely by ORIT's 15.5% stake of the Lincs asset), produced
84GWh in H1 2024, +5% vs budget (+4GWh) of 80GWh. Favourable wind
conditions (+7GWh) were offset by marginally lower availability
(-2GWh) due to main component failures. Four generators and three
gearboxes were replaced in the period at the site across the 75
turbines. The ongoing proactive generator repair programme will
assist in mitigating lost production going forward. ORIT is
currently in discussions with Orsted regarding potential
recoveries.
Revenues and EBITDA:
Lincs generated revenues of £21.0
million, +3% vs budget (+£0.6 million). This was primarily due to
the higher-than-budgeted production. The average power prices
achieved throughout the period were in line with budget.
Operational expenditure totalled
£11.6 million, 3% higher than budgeted (£11.3 million), due to a
marginally higher-than-expected inflationary O&M increase in
Q1. This resulted in EBITDA of £9.4 million, +3% vs budget (+£0.3
million).
Figure 9 on page 22 of the Interim
Report shows the offshore wind output variance to budget in H1 2024
with the GWh impact of wind speed and turbine availability listed
above.
Asset management
Octopus Energy Generation actively
manages ORIT's assets and follows a proactive approach of
identifying and mitigating risks to secure the long-term
performance of its growing and increasingly diverse global
portfolio of renewable energy assets.
Case study:
H1 2024 wind asset management
initiatives to deliver and manage high performance:
Advanced asset monitoring
|
Use of advanced monitoring
techniques to pre- emptively enhance project performance
|
Example: A new service called
Skyspecs has been launched whereby ORIT asset data is analysed
automatically to identify underperforming turbines, turbines with
components running hotter than they should be, and to pinpoint any
turbines that are not accurately aligned with the wind. At the
Cumberhead onshore wind farm, this system detected a northing
offset (an issue whereby a turbine cannot accurately identify which
way it is pointing). Directional signals are important for the
management of loads on turbines in order to ensure they reach their
design life. This was quickly resolved with the site operations
team. Without this advanced monitoring system it would have been
impossible to detect the issue.
|
Enhancements to wind turbine blade upgrades
|
Modifications to selected wind
turbine blades, to increase production
|
Example: At Ljungbyholm wind
farm, blade modifications to certain turbines were made by applying
add-on serrations. This allowed a production curtailment to be
lifted whilst ensuring the wind farm does not exceed its permitted
noise emission levels, thereby enhancing the generation performance
of the site. The additional production which would otherwise have
been lost due to curtailment is estimated to be worth over €2m
across the lifetime of the asset on a net present value
basis.
|
Proactive management of turbine bearing
failures
|
Steps taken to minimise site- wide
performance losses at earliest opportunities
|
Example: Following the failure
of two turbine main bearings at the Finnish wind sites, OEGEN acted
swiftly and leveraged its strong relationship with senior
management to drive the O&M contractor to install additional
monitoring systems. These systems have been put in place to prevent
further issues and ensure optimal performance. Furthermore, OEGEN
has proactively agreed on the replacement of all remaining bearings
from the same batch, with completion scheduled for later this year,
thereby mitigating any potential risks and reinforcing the
reliability of operations.
|
Construction and development portfolio
update
ORIT is an Impact Fund with a core
objective to accelerate the transition to net zero through its
investments in building and operating a diversified portfolio of
renewable energy assets. Central to ORIT's strategy is the
principle of additionality-actively increasing renewable energy
capacity. By investing in construction assets and developer
companies, ORIT not only supports existing infrastructure but also
expands the sector's capacity. This ensures ORIT's investors
directly contribute to new renewable energy projects, driving the
energy landscape towards net zero.
Construction overview
Construction achievements
|
As at 30 June 2024, ORIT has a
construction track record of 448MW of renewable capacity built
across 12 sites, comprising 267MW from solar sites and 181MW from
onshore wind sites.27 These construction efforts have
contributed a total £15.8 million uplift to Net Asset Value since
inception, through the yield compression recognised when the assets
are de‑risked upon moving from construction phase to operational
phase.
This report includes a case study
on Ballymacarney, the largest solar complex in Ireland at 199MW
across its first four sites. ORIT oversaw the construction before
acquiring the sites in February 2024 upon completion of their
commissioning tests.
|
Construction update in the period
|
The key achievement during the
period was the connection to the grid of the 67MW Breach solar
farm, which was followed by the commencement of its 10-year PPA
with Iceland Foods. Construction was completed in time for the
original energisation date in October 2023, though connection was
pushed to Q2 2024 due to delays from National Grid. Construction
was managed by a dedicated OEGEN construction manager, with the
support of an external owner's engineer.
The construction at Harlockstown
(42MW), the fifth site at the Ballymacarney solar complex, was
completed during the period. Commissioning tests are ongoing and
expected to be completed in Q3 2024. The site will be acquired once
all tests are complete.
|
Construction portfolio
|
6MW of capacity is under
construction, corresponding to ORIT's 50% share of the Woburn Road
battery storage asset. The construction costs are fully covered by
ORIT's JV partner, Sky, another fund managed by OEGEN. Completion
is anticipated in Q1 2025, and ORIT has until May 2025 to choose to
contribute its share of the costs. If ORIT decides not to do so,
its stake will transfer to Sky.
|
27 Note that this includes assets that
have now been sold by ORIT (i.e. the Polish wind assets sold in FY
2023 totalling 59MW)
Figure 10: Assets invested in at construction
stage
|
|
|
Capacity (MW,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
pro-rata for
|
Date of
|
Start of
|
|
Site name
|
Technology
|
Country
|
ORIT ownership)
|
acquisition
|
operations
|
Status
|
Ljungbyholm
|
Onshore wind
|
Sweden
|
48
|
Mar-2020
|
Jun-2021
|
Operational28
|
Cerisou
|
Onshore wind
|
France
|
24
|
Oct-2020
|
Nov-2022
|
Operational
|
Cumberhead
|
Onshore wind
|
UK
|
50
|
Sep-2021
|
Mar-2023
|
Operational
|
Krzecin
|
Onshore wind
|
Poland
|
19
|
Oct-2021
|
Feb-2022
|
Exited
|
Kuslin
|
Onshore wind
|
Poland
|
40
|
Oct-2021
|
Dec-2022
|
Exited
|
Breach
|
Solar
|
UK
|
67
|
Jun-2022
|
Jun-2024
|
Operational
|
Woburn Road
|
Battery Storage
|
UK
|
6
|
Jan-2023
|
Expected Q1 2025
|
Construction
|
Ballymacarney (Ballymacarney solar
complex)
|
Solar
|
Ireland
|
54
|
Feb-2024
|
Dec-2023
|
Operational
|
Kilsallaghan
(Ballymacarney solar complex)
|
Solar
|
Ireland
|
29
|
Feb-2024
|
Dec-2023
|
Operational
|
Muckerstown (Ballymacarney solar
complex)
|
Solar
|
Ireland
|
48
|
Feb-2024
|
Dec-2023
|
Operational
|
Fidorfe (Ballymacarney solar
complex)
|
Solar
|
Ireland
|
68
|
Feb-2024
|
Dec-2023
|
Operational
|
Harlockstown (Ballymacarney solar
complex)
|
Solar
|
Ireland
|
42
|
Feb-2024
|
Aug-2024, acquisition
expected in Q3 2024
|
Operational, conditional
acquisition29
|
28 The sale of Ljungbyholm wind farm
completed during August 2024.
29 Page 40 of the 2023 Annual Report in
the corresponding construction track record table should have read
"conditional acquisition" instead of "acquired post year-end" for
Harlockstown. Other mentions of Harlockstown in the 2023 Annual
Report correctly mention the conditional acquisition
status.
Case Study: Ballymacarney Solar Complex
ORIT's risk-managed acquisition of
the largest solar complex in Ireland
Overview
|
The 199MW Ballymacarney solar
complex outside Dublin, Ireland, was acquired by ORIT in February
2024, and provides an example of ORIT's strategic approach to
renewable energy investments. This landmark project - which is
currently the largest solar farm in Ireland - was sourced through a
strong relationship with Statkraft and selected due to its
alignment with ORIT's investment criteria, including having a high
quality developer and being of large scale. The complex also
provides an attractive revenue profile due to a long-term PPA with
a blue-chip offtaker, Microsoft, which has been put in
place.
|
Project Delivery and Risk Management
|
ORIT acquired the asset on a
conditional basis: the purchase was agreed pre-construction, but
with completion of the acquisition taking place once the
post-construction commissioning tests had been successfully carried
out. However, ORIT negotiated the ability to be able to actively
monitor the construction process during the build phase. OEGEN
provided proactive oversight and stringent monitoring throughout
the 15 month construction period, including regular site
inspections, reporting from a technical advisor, and close
collaboration with Statkraft to ensure quality construction
practices were followed and risks were mitigated.
This right of oversight - which is
a different approach compared to typical post-construction
acquisitions - ensured adherence to high construction standards.
ORIT expects this will pay benefits over the long term through high
quality performance and the minimising of operational
issues.
|
Challenges and Mitigation
|
Prudent contracting protected ORIT
from challenges such as delays from local planning authorities and
EirGrid (the grid operator in Ireland). These delays were managed
by Statkraft under the contractual arrangements, with no impact on
ORIT. A detailed set of testing requirements at commissioning,
which were required to be passed prior to acquisition of the sites,
ensured delivery of high-quality assets.
|
Takeaways
|
The time spent to agree prudent
contractual arrangements at acquisition significantly de-risked
this project for ORIT. Secondly, high quality partners are
valuable, and we expect to be able to leverage this for future
pipeline opportunities.
|
Impact
|
The Ballymacarney project
contributes significantly to Ireland's renewable energy targets. It
is expected to generate the equivalent of around 2.5% of households
demand, and also meets around 2.5% of the national solar target of
8GW by 203030. The project is expected to deliver robust
performance, with high-quality construction ensuring reliable and
efficient long-term operations. The project includes a community
benefit fund of €2/ MWh produced, expected to be approximately
€400k per year for 15 years, supporting local development and
illustrating ORIT's commitment to creating positive local
impact.
|
Conclusion
|
The Ballymacarney solar complex
stands as a landmark project in Ireland's renewable energy
landscape. ORIT's strategic and proactive involvement ensured the
acquisition of a high-quality asset with an appropriate risk
profile, contributing to both national energy goals and local
community benefits. There is also an additional fifth site
('Harlockstown', 42MW) for which construction was completed in
March 2024 and that will connect into the same complex. ORIT will
acquire this site once it has passed its commissioning tests,
expected in Q3 2024. With the Harlockstown site, the complex
reaches a total capacity of 241MW.
|
30 Source: Ireland Climate Action Plan,
https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/67104-climate-action-plan/
Developers portfolio
Developer investments overview
Simply Blue
· 19% stake
· Floating offshore wind
· UK and
Europe
|
ORIT first invested in Simply Blue in August 2021 for a c.12%
stake, with later increases of its stake to 15.5% and then 19%
through follow-on investments. ORIT invested alongside Sky
(a private fund managed by Octopus Energy Generation) through
a joint venture.
The latest funding was provided in
June 2024, in which ORIT provided €7 million (structured as a
convertible loan) to enable Simply Blue to continue developing its
large pipeline of offshore wind and sustainable fuels projects
whilst it seeks to raise long-term strategic funding to bring these
projects through to the construction-ready stage.
|
Wind2
· 25% stake
· Onshore wind
· UK
|
In December 2021, ORIT agreed to
provide up to £10 million in development funding for 9 newly
formed joint venture onshore wind farms for which Wind2 is providing development
services. ORIT's investment was through a joint venture with Sky
(see above).
The Wind2 team continued to
progress the development of the projects during the first half of
2024. Extended discussions with landowners have taken longer than
anticipated on several sites, but a case officer has been appointed
to manage the planning application for one project in Scotland. As
at end of H1 2024, the projects under development totalled c.900MW
across wind, solar and BESS, with three projects at
pre‑application
stage, four in pre-scoping stage, and one submitted to planning and
awaiting determination.
|
BLC Energy
· 100% stake
· Solar
and battery storage
· UK
|
ORIT entered into a development
services agreement with BLC
Energy to fund up to £2 million for the development of
solar and battery storage projects in the UK, through a vehicle
called Trio Power Limited.
In H1 2024, the BLC Energy team
originated several new English solar projects bringing the total
pipeline under development to c.600MW across solar & BESS. Of
the current pipeline, c.400MW has heads of terms signed and grid
applications submitted.
|
Nordic Generation
· 50% stake
· Solar
and onshore wind
· Finland
|
In April 2022, ORIT co-invested
with Sky (see above) through a joint venture.
The Norgen development team had a
successful first half to 2024, progressing its pipeline of nine
secured projects, whilst also identifying various new pipeline and
strategic opportunities in the market. As at end of H1 2024, the
projects under development totalled c.1GW across wind and solar,
with two projects having submitted planning applications, 6 at
pre‑application
stage, and one project on hold pending municipality approval to
progress pre‑application activities. Application determination decisions
are anticipated on the first project in Q4 2024.
|
HYRO
· 25% stake
· Green
hydrogen production
· UK
|
ORIT agreed to invest up to £5
million into HYRO Energy
Limited ("HYRO"), a JV between ORIT and Sky (see above) and
the global developer company, RES. HYRO was established to develop
green electrolysis projects in England, Scotland and Wales for
industrial offtake/ consumption. It is currently progressing with
the Northfleet hydrogen production project, which was awarded a
contract in the UK Government's first hydrogen allocation support
round ("HAR1") in December 2023. It is expected to complete the
detailed design phase and reach ready-to-build status in 2025. HYRO
has also entered two projects into the second round ("HAR2"), with
outcomes expected in Autumn 2024.
|
Market outlook
|
Commentary
|
ORIT's position and opportunity
|
Clean energy transition: broad
picture
|
The global political and regulatory
landscape continues to be highly supportive of the energy
transition. As well as the global Paris Agreement, national
policies and regulatory frameworks such as the European Green Deal
and the Inflation Reduction Act in the US look to underpin efforts
to move towards net zero, the delivery of which will not be
possible without accelerated investment from current levels. Global
investment in the energy transition hit a record $1.8 trillion in
2023, climbing 17% from a year earlier31. Around a third
of this was in renewable energy. In order to align with a
Paris-aligned net zero scenario, BNEF estimates that global energy
transition investment needs to average $4.84 trillion per year
between 2024 and 2030 - i.e. around triple the $1.8 trillion spent
in 2023.
|
ORIT is well positioned to play a
role in the sector, given its technological and geographical
mandate, and ability to invest in developers as well as generating
assets. Investment in the energy transition in UK and Europe
amounted to around 20% of the global $1.8 trillion in 2023, and
generally progressive policies in these geographies mean that it is
that opportunities will remain plentiful. ORIT is also able invest
in operational assets as well as in pre-construction assets and
developers, in order to capture value across the entire life cycle
and to contribute new renewable capacity. OEGEN as Investment
Manager has extensive links into numerous markets as well as a deep
pool of expertise in its team.
|
Macro- economic environment
|
We are now returning to more normal
inflation rates globally. Inflation in the UK had fallen to 2% by
June 2024, compared with 4% at the end of 2023, and in the US it is
at around 3%. Bank base rates are now stabilised or starting to be
cut: in August 2024 the Bank of England cut interest rates for the
first time in four years and the European Central Bank cut rates in
June 2024 for the first time since 2019. A rate cut in the US is
still awaited, though is expected to be imminent following recent
comments from the chair of the Federal Reserve.
There has been a reasonably steady
flow of recent M&A activity with assets, particularly through
capital recycling programmes as funds look to release capital and
prove holding values. These have included GLIL's acquisition of a
50% stake in a 112MW UK solar portfolio (Jul 2024), Downing's
purchase of a 35MW solar project from NextEnergy (Jun 2024), and
three sales from TRIG inclusive of its 15.2% stake in a 330MW
offshore wind farm to Equitix. In private markets Aviva sold a
175MW portfolio of UK onshore wind projects to CKI Infrastructure
for around £350m. Some larger developers and integrated platforms
of operational and earlier-stage assets have attracted eye-catching
valuations, including Brookfield's reported €6 billion acquisition
of French renewables developer Neoen, and KKR's c.€2.8bn takeover
of German wind and solar operator Encavis.
|
The August 2024 rate cut in the UK
was from 5.25% to 5%, so interest rates remain high compared with
levels prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Consensus is that
further rate cuts will be gradual across many months, and this is
reflected in bond yields which, whilst significantly down from 2023
and 2024 highs, remain above the levels seen at the turn of the
year. Therefore any relief to the pressure on NAV discounts (for
ORIT and its peers) may also take time to be realised. Lower
inflationary pressure should help development of new construction
projects as will an increasingly supportive renewables policy and
regulatory outlook in the UK (see below).
The recent high levels of inflation
have emphasised the attractiveness of ORIT's high level of
inflation-linked revenues. ORIT has continued to maintain the
portfolio's protection against inflation, having signed a 10-year
CPI-linked fixed price PPA between Crossdykes and Sky UK in Q2
2024. While the acquisition of the Irish solar portfolio (with a 15
year fixed price PPA with Microsoft) has positively contributed to
the portfolio's fixed revenue base, the resulting increase in
revenues which are not inflation-linked has resulted in a slight
decrease in ORIT's forecast inflation-linked revenues. On a 10-year
look forward basis, this stands at 48% as at 30 June 2024 (vs 51%
as at 31 December 2023).
|
Outlook in the UK
|
The UK remains a favourable market
for renewable energy investments, and even more so following the
formation of the new Labour government in July 2024 and the policy
measures that it has rapidly implemented. Incoming Prime Minister
Keir Starmer has said that by 2030 the government will aim to more
than double onshore wind (to 35GW), more than treble solar (to
50GW) and quadruple offshore wind (to 55GW). Specific actions
announced include:
1. Increased budget for
the upcoming 'AR6' CfD round: a record total support budget for
projects of £1.5bn represents a seven-fold increase on the 2023 AR5
budget;
2. Onshore wind
planning reform: the government has lifted the de facto ban on
onshore wind in England; and
3. GB Energy: Labour
has created a national energy company backed up with £8.3bn of
state funds over five years, with early initiatives including an
offshore wind development partnership with The Crown Estate and
investment in UK supply chains.
Significant progress is also being
made to reduce grid connection delays, with an intent to cut
average delays from five years to six months. A key part of this
has been a proposal to reform the management of the connections
queue, in order to prioritise ready-to connect projects.
The Review of Electricity Market
Arrangements (REMA) process is ongoing, with a potential for moving
to a zonal pricing system for electricity in the long term under
consideration.
|
With a significant portion of its
investments in the UK, including three developer investments
focused on the UK market, ORIT is poised to benefit from the
government's strong support for renewable energy initiatives (the
UK is ORIT's largest single market, 40% of total value of all
investments at 30 June 2024).
The positive recent policy changes
will support the industry and ORIT expects an acceleration is new
projects coming to market over the coming years, as well as greater
potential for CfD support for ready to build assets developed by
Wind2 and BLCe.
In the event of market design
changes being implemented in the longer term (through REMA or
otherwise), ORIT is well placed: its manager OEGEN has successfully
navigated policy and market changes many times before, and has deep
insight (especially through the wider Octopus Energy group)
regarding the latest thinking amongst policy and decision
makers.
|
Outlook in Europe
|
Europe's concerted policy efforts
and market conditions have positioned it at the forefront of
renewable energy adoption and investment over the last few years.
The European Green deal was implemented in 2020 and is a set of
policy initiatives with the aim of making the EU carbon neutral by
2050.
The EU elections that took place in
June 2024 saw a broad shift to the right on the political
make-up of the parliament, and there are now some concerns that
Europe might be on the verge of weakening its climate ambitions.
However the outcome of the French parliamentary elections in July
avoided a victory for the parties most opposed to renewable
development. More generally the move towards renewables has
significant momentum, and the first half of 2024 saw over half of
electricity generation in the EU coming from renewables for the
first time32. Following the end of the period, German
authorities ruled out a move to zonal pricing in Germany as part of
wider market reforms.
|
ORIT and its manager hold deep
experience in numerous European energy markets (in Europe outside
of the UK, ORIT has investments in 5 countries, and OEGEN in 12).
ORIT is well positioned to invest in assets across the value chain,
as well as in more developers who are exploiting opportunities in
these markets.
Offshore wind remains a key
technology in the energy system of the future, and floating
turbines will be required to meet deployment targets. ORIT will be
able to consider providing additional working capital to developers
to the extent necessary, as demonstrated by its €7m follow-on
investment into Simply Blue Group in June 2024.
ORIT's focus on diversification
also reduces the risk associated with any one country's regulatory
changes.
|
Power prices and green certificates
|
2024 began with power markets
trending in a clear downwards direction, driven by warm weather in
the majority of Europe, alongside a decline in carbon prices. A
partial recovery in forward power prices was driven by stronger LNG
demand from Asia, outages at LNG facilities as well as geopolitical
concerns.
Of particular note was the
prevalence of negative spot prices across Europe during the period,
following a trend of increasing frequency over the past few years.
Negative prices occurred most often in the Netherlands and Germany,
driven by a rising volume of inflexible rooftop solar capacity.
Strong nuclear availability in France exacerbated the issue given
nuclear plants cannot easily ramp down their generation, while high
rainfall early in the quarter meant that there was strong
production at run-of-river hydro plants across Europe.
|
The portfolio's exposure to
wholesale power prices is limited due to fixed price PPAs (with
corporate and utility offtakers) which the Investment Manager has
originated, as well as governmentbacked subsidies across the UK,
France and Germany.
ORIT continues to maintain a high
proportion of fixed revenues (84% for the two years up to
30 June 2026) so is well protected from near- and medium-term
price falls in forward curves and advisor price forecasts. ORIT's
Investment Manager takes an active approach to revenue risk
management and will continue to do so as the portfolio evolves,
through a combination of government support mechanisms and
fixed-price PPAs. From a valuation perspective, 53% of the
portfolio's value is derived from fixed price revenues, and 47% is
from variable price revenues, an increase in the former of 3% from
6 months ago primarily due to the acquisition of the Irish
solar portfolio and the Crossdykes-Sky UK PPA.
All of ORIT's fixed revenues remain
fixed on a pay-as-produced basis, meaning that unlike as is
required for baseload hedges, ORIT is not exposed to the risk of
having to buy power on the market at expensive prices to top up the
solar or wind generation profile to a baseload shape.
Detail on forecast power (and green
certificate) pricing in markets relevant to ORIT's assets is
provided later in this Interim Report.
|
Investment Trust landscape
|
Continuing the pattern seen in
2023, there has been further downward pressure on investment trust
share prices thus far in 2024. This has been particularly acute for
renewables focused investment trusts. We do, however, expect this
pressure to begin to ease now that interest rates are starting to
come down, but it will still be some time before equity markets
re-open for fundraising. In the meantime, we have seen asset sales
activity as trusts look to recycle capital, and a number of share
buy-backs and tender offers as a means of returning capital to
shareholders at NAVaccretive valuations.
There has been increased
consolidation activity amongst investment trusts in general and
real estate vehicles, however whilst some smaller niche energy
efficiency or emerging markets vehicles have sought to wind down,
we have yet to see consolidation activity amongst the renewables
trusts.
|
ORIT has continued to be proactive
in asset recycling (see the capital recycling programme section
within the Investment Manager's Report later), achieving sales
either at or above holding valuations, which would suggest that the
share price discounts to NAV are not reflective of the true value
of the assets. The Company also initiated a share buyback programme
in June 2024 with an initial tranche of up to £10 million. Since
the start of the programme, the repurchases of Ordinary Shares at a
discount to NAV has resulted in an increase in NAV per Ordinary
Share of +0.07 pence.
ORIT has also explored strategic
options including the possible combination with Aquila European
Renewables plc, though this process came to an end in May
2024.
Despite the challenging macro
environment, ORIT has continued to increase dividends in line with
inflation, and we believe the trust is well positioned to grow
further once equity markets re-open to allow new fundraising by the
sector.
|
31
Source: BNEF - Energy Transition Investment Trends
2024
32
https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/eu-surpasses-50-renewable-power-share-first-time-first-half-2024?
Financing
As part of a disciplined capital
allocation strategy, the Company remains focused on its debt
management prioritising the reduction of relatively expensive
short-term debt. This is being achieved through a combination of
repayment using proceeds from asset sales, alongside negotiating a
re-financing of a portion of the existing RCF drawn balance with
lower cost, longer-term debt secured against the portfolio of
assets.
During the 6 months to 30 June
2024, total leverage increased from 39% to 46%. This subsequently
reduced to 43%33 following the proceeds of the
Ljungbyholm sale being used to pay down RCF borrowings after the
end of the period. ORIT's outstanding debt can be grouped under the
following two categories:
(i) Short-term Debt:
As at 30 June 2024, ORIT had £196.2
million drawn on its RCF (out of a total available £270.8m total
facility size). The Company's RCF is considered short-term in
nature as it is primarily used for working capital and near-term
funding. It allows a high degree of flexibility with the ability to
draw, repay and re-borrow funds as needed. As there is less
certainty over timing of RCF drawings and repayments, the interest
rate is variable and linked to benchmark rates, leading to
fluctuating borrowing costs.
Short-term financing increased by
£66.2 million during the period following completion of the
acquisition of the first four sites of the Ballymacarney solar
complex, which was partially funded through the RCF. However,
following completion of the sale of the Ljungbyholm onshore wind
farm in Sweden (post-period event), the net proceeds were used to
partially repay the RCF by £64 million during September 2024,
resulting in a balance of approximately £134 million.
33 Prior to approximately £30 million of
committed investments due to be made in 2024, the majority of which
relates to the acquisition of the fifth site at the Ballymacarney
complex in Ireland.
(ii) Long-term Debt:
At the project level, ORIT has a
number of structured term loan facilities in place, amounting to a
total drawn debt balance of £308.5 million. Debt at this level is
considered long-term as it is typically used for funding specific
investments and has a fixed term with scheduled principal payments
(amortisation) over the life of the loan. Given that the repayment
profiles for these loans are predictable, the Company uses hedging
in order to fix interest rates, reducing the overall risk exposure
for long-term debt significantly. The Company's term loans are 91%
hedged on average.
In the period, long-term financing
increased following the acquisition of the first four sites of the
Ballymacarney solar complex. The total acquisition cost of €160.6
million was in part financed using a €80.6 million debt facility
provided by Allied Irish Banks and La Banque Postale. The increase
in term-loan debt was partially offset following scheduled
amortisation payments amounting to £22.2 million.
To date, the proceeds of disposals
have been used to reduce the Company's level of short-term
borrowings and related exposure to high variable interest rates
(the all-in rate on the RCF at 30 June 2024 was 7.25%). Repayment
of short-term debt remains a strong capital allocation option for
the Company but alongside further asset sales, the Company has been
progressing discussions with its existing revolving credit facility
lenders regarding the potential to put in place a new debt facility
against some of the UK operational assets that have long-term fixed
and contracted revenue streams. Any such new debt facility would be
expected to benefit from a lower interest rate than the revolving
credit facility borrowings it would replace.
Following the sale of Ljungbyholm
wind farm, and assuming that the aforementioned new debt facility
of c. £100 million is put in place, the RCF balance is expected to
reach levels below £50 million by the end of 2025. Should no
further asset sales or refinancing opportunities take place, and
all cash flows not required to pay the Company's costs and continue
growing the dividend were used to pay down debt, the Company's
gearing is expected to fall to around 20% of GAV over a ten year
period. Given the high interest rate environment, the Board and
Investment Manager would like to reduce total gearing levels to
below 40%, which the Company considers to be a reasonable long-term
gearing level. Although there will be periods where gearing exceeds
this level, the Company would not exceed this for prolonged periods
of time.
ORIT debt summary as at 30 June 2024:
|
Total Debt
|
Short-Term
Debt
|
Long-Term
Debt
|
Debt as a % of GAV
|
46%
|
18%
|
28%
|
Committed debt as a % of Total
value of all investments
|
47%
|
18%
|
29%
|
% Hedged
|
56%
|
0%
|
91%
|
Average cost of debt
|
4.4%
|
7.3%
|
2.6%
|
Average remaining term
(years)
|
9.6
|
1.7
|
14.6
|
Summary of ORIT debt facilities as at 30 June
2024:
|
Short-Term
|
|
|
Long-Term
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
UK Offshore
|
Asset
|
HoldCo
|
FR Solar
|
FR Wind
|
IRE
Solar34
|
GER Wind
|
Wind
|
Debt Terms
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Currency
|
GBP or EUR
|
EUR
|
EUR
|
EUR
|
EUR
|
GBP
|
Term loan
|
£270.8m
|
€125.7m
|
€43.2m
|
€80.6m
|
€61.0m
|
£110.5m
|
Drawn at 30 June 2024
|
£196.2m
|
€98.3m
|
€42.7m
|
€80.6m
|
€55.8m
|
£71.7m
|
Drawn at 30 June 2024 £m
|
£196.2m
|
£83.3m
|
£36.2m
|
£67.5m
|
£47.3m
|
£71.7m
|
Initial Term (years)
|
3
|
18
|
20
|
20
|
18
|
15
|
Expiry Date
|
Feb-26
|
Dec-38
|
Sep-42
|
Jun-42
|
Mar-41
|
Sep-32
|
Facility date
|
Nov-20
|
Jan-21
|
Apr-21
|
Jul-21
|
Sep-22
|
Dec-17
|
|
|
|
|
Y1-5
1.30%
|
|
2017-2022: 1.45%
|
Margin
|
2.0%
|
1.25%
|
1.30%
|
Y6-10
1.40%
|
0.83%-1.75%
|
2023-2027: 1.65%
|
|
|
|
|
Y10+
1.65%
|
|
2028-2032: 1.85%
|
Variable interest %
|
SONIA
|
EURIBOR
|
EURIBOR
|
EURIBOR
|
EURIBOR
|
SONIA
|
Hedging
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
% hedged
|
-
|
85%
|
90%
|
100%
|
100%
|
85%
|
Swap rate
|
n/a
|
-0.12%
|
0.51%
|
3.07%
|
0.12%
|
1.27%
|
34 During the period, ORIT acquired
four Irish solar farms. The total acquisition cost of €161m was in
part financed using a €80.6m debt facility provided by Allied Irish
Banks and La Banque Postale. This facility is 100% hedged at an
interest rate of 3.07%. Upon completion of the fifth site, the
hedging % will be calculated against the total facility bringing
the total hedged % below 100% (but will still represent a minimum
of at least 75% hedged).
In calculating the Company's NAV,
quarterly valuations are undertaken for the Company's underlying
portfolio of assets. The process follows International Private
Equity Valuation Guidelines using a discounted cashflow ("DCF")
methodology. DCF is deemed the most appropriate methodology where a
detailed projection of likely future cash flows is possible. Due to
the asset class, availability of market data and the ability to
project the asset's performance over the forecast horizon,
a DCF valuation is typically the basis upon which renewable
assets are traded in the market. Key macroeconomic and fiscal
assumptions for the valuations are set out in Note 8 to the financial
statements.
Including the Company's and its
intermediate holding companies' net liabilities (which mostly
comprises Holding Company debt and cash), the total NAV as at 30
June 2024 is £592.8 million or 105.2 pence per Ordinary
Share.
The key valuation drivers are shown
in Figure 11 of the Interim Report:
Figure 11 on page 33 of the Interim
Report shows the ORIT Net Asset Value Bridge (£m)
Movements in the fair value of the underlying portfolio of
assets
1 Gain on Holding Value
As previously mentioned,
post-period the Company signed a conditional agreement to sell the
Ljungbyholm onshore wind farm in Sweden for a consideration of
€73.7 million. The valuation of Ljungbyholm had been updated in
line with the agreed sales price, which was known as at 30 June
2024. plus interest payable by the vendor up to the 30 June 2024.
This represented a valuation uplift of £0.8 million or +0.14 pence
per Ordinary Share above the Investment Manager's internal
valuation as at 30 June 2024, which includes the latest
macroeconomic and power price assumptions available as at that date
which are consistent with the assumptions used in the valuations of
ORIT's other portfolio of assets. The final proceeds, which include
additional interest up to the completion date of €0.7 million will
result in a further uplift in the second half of the financial
year.
2 Construction risk
premium
A valuation increase of £0.9
million resulted from the unwind of a portion of the construction
risk premium included in the discount rate applied to the Breach
Solar Farm, to reflect that construction activity is substantially
complete following being connected to National Grid during Q2 2024.
The remaining construction risk premium applied to this asset is
expected to be unwound in the second half of 2024 following
completion of commissioning activities.
3 New PPAs
During the period, as part of the
Investment Manager's active revenue management strategy, the
Crossdykes onshore wind farm in Lanarkshire, Scotland, signed a PPA
with Sky UK, who will purchase 69% of the output at a CPI-linked
fixed price for a period of 10 years from 1 April 2025. The PPA is
NAV-accretive when compared with the power price assumptions
included in the NAV and resulted in an uplift of £5.4 million or
+0.98 pence per Ordinary Share.
4 Power Prices and Green
Certificates
The net impact of updating power
price and green certificate forecasts was a £1.9 million increase
in the value of the portfolio as at 30 June 2024.
Power prices
Where prices are not fixed under
power price agreements or otherwise hedged, the power prices used
in the valuations are based on market forward prices in the near
term, followed by an equal blend of two independent and widely used
market consultants' technology-specific capture price forecasts for
each asset. The power prices used in the valuations include the
relevant 'capture price' discount to baseload prices derived from
the independent market consultants' forecasts, and do not include
any further discounts. For wind assets, where site-level
technological and geographical characteristics can contribute
greatly to variability between sites, a site-specific capture price
forecast is used in order to more accurately forecast expected cash
generation per project.
Over the year, the price forecasts
used in valuations saw a drop in the short term as a result of
movements in forward prices. In the medium and longer term, the
advisors' long term price forecasts saw movements as a result of
revisions to commodity price forecasts, EV and electrolyser demand
and renewable buildout, however, were broadly stable. Updating
power price forecasts during the year led to a valuation decrease
of -£1.1 million.
Green certificates
Renewable Energy Guarantees of
Origin ("REGOs") in the UK and Guarantees of Origin ("GoOs") in
European markets are sold by generators to guarantee that purchased
electricity is from a 'green' source. Green certificate forecasts
used in the valuations are based on market forward prices in the
near term (which are updated quarterly), followed by a single
longer term third-party forecast (which is refreshed by the market
consultant annually). This single forecast used to value the green
certificates is provided by one of the market consultants used for
the blended power price curve. The market forecast that has been
reflected in the valuations as at 30 June was refreshed during the
second quarterly valuation cycle of 2024.
Historically, a limited number of
advisors have produced green certificate forecasts. Over the past
year, as demand for green certificates has been high and the value
attributed to them have increased, a larger quantity of both REGO
and GoO forecasts are now available. As a result, the Investment
Manager will assess the suitability and robustness of forecasts
provided by other market consultants, in order to consider
incorporating a blend of two forecasts (in line with the
methodology on power prices).
Overall, updating green certificate
forecasts has led to a net increase of £3.0 million in the value of
the portfolio as at 30 June 2024.
5 Changes in economic
assumptions
The combined impact of inflation
and foreign exchange movements represents a net nil impact on the
portfolio valuation as at 30 June 2024 (including the impact of FX
hedging).
Inflation
Over the first half of 2024,
inflation forecasts have remained broadly flat on average. Whilst
inflation forecasts for outturn 2024 have decreased on average
across the jurisdictions that ORIT's portfolio of assets are
located in, inflation forecasts over the following years (2025 to
2028) have increased slightly. There has been no change to
long-term inflation assumptions.
This has resulted in a net
valuation increase of £0.7 million.
The inflation inputs used to
calculate the NAV per Ordinary Share as at 30 June 2024 have been
sourced from: (i) recent consensus UK inflation forecasts published
by His Majesty's Treasury (May 2024); and (ii) inflation forecasts
for European countries published by the European Commission (May
2024).
Foreign Exchange ("FX")
During the period, sterling
appreciated against the euro by approximately 2.2%, leading to a
negative valuation impact of £8.3 million. Euro-denominated
investments comprised 50% of the portfolio at the year end. The
Investment Manager regularly reviews the level of euro exposure and
utilises hedges, with the objective of minimising variability in
shorter term cash flows. After the impact of currency hedges held
at Company level are taken into account, the loss on FX reduces
to
-£0.7 million.
6 Balance of portfolio
return
This refers to the balance of
portfolio valuation movements in the period excluding the factors
noted above and represents an increase of £14.9 million.
Of this, £23.7 million reflects the
net present value of future cashflows being brought forward from
the valuation date used for the acquisitions to 30 June
2024.
These movements were partially
offset by financial and technical performance during the period
resulting in a net negative valuation impact of -£2.6
million.
The remaining amount relates to
adjustments to the project company level forecasts, which resulted
in an overall net decrease of -£6.3 million. The majority of this
balance relates to adjustments to forecast settlement payments
related to recently completed construction sites (Breach Solar farm
and Cumberhead wind farm) and minor changes to expected Operating
Costs at some sites.
Movements in the fair value of the plc and Holding
Companies
7 Dividend paid in the
period
Interim dividends totalling £16.7
million in respect of Q4 2023 and Q1 2024 were paid during the
six-month period to 30 June 2024.
8 plc and Holding Company running
costs
Running costs of the plc and
Holding Companies totalling £13.5 million were paid during the
quarter, mostly comprising RCF interest and financing costs,
management fees and general running costs.
9 Share buybacks
Since the start of the share
buyback programme, the repurchase of Ordinary Shares at a discount
to NAV has resulted in an increase in NAV per Ordinary Share of
+0.07 pence per Ordinary Share.
Discount Rates
A range of discount rates are
applied in calculating the fair value of the investments,
considering the location, technology and lifecycle stage of each
asset as well as leverage and the split of fixed and variable
revenues.
Although a high-inflationary
environment remains in the UK and Europe and bond yields continue
to be elevated versus pre-2022 levels, inflation appears to have
stabilised and rate cuts have now been announced in both the UK and
Europe. Despite this backdrop, competition for renewable assets has
remained high and the Company has successfully delivered three
asset sales (Polish wind, Spanish solar and Swedish wind
investments), all at a premium to, or in line with, the most
recently calculated holding values, giving confidence in the
Investment Manager's valuation assumptions.
As a result, no changes have been
made to the discount rates applied to ORIT's portfolio of assets
during the period.
In line with expectation, the
weighted average discount rate has remained broadly in line with
prior periods, decreasing slightly by 0.2% to 7.0% versus the most
recently published weighted average discount rate of 7.2% as at 31
December 2023. The primary reasons for the marginal decrease in the
overall blended rate is the inclusion of the Irish solar portfolio
which attracts a relatively low discount rate given its highly
fixed revenue profile, the derisking of the portfolio through the
signature of the Crossdykes 10-year PPA (which now attracts a lower
discount rate due its higher proportion of fixed revenues) as well
as unwind of the construction risk premium included in the discount
rate for Breach solar farm.
|
30-Jun-24
|
31-Dec-23
|
UK
Assets
|
|
|
Levered IRR
|
7.5%
|
7.5%
|
Gross Asset Value (GAV)
(£m)
|
463
|
491
|
Asset Leverage %GAV
|
16%
|
17%
|
European Assets
|
|
|
Levered IRR
|
6.7%
|
6.9%
|
Gross Asset Value (GAV)
(£m)
|
634
|
488
|
Asset Leverage %GAV
|
38%
|
36%
|
Total Portfolio
|
|
|
Levered IRR
|
7.0%
|
7.2%
|
Gross Asset Value (GAV)
(£m)
|
1,098
|
980
|
Asset Leverage %GAV
|
28%
|
26%
|
Fund Leverage %GAV
|
18%
|
13%
|
Total Leverage %GAV
|
46%
|
39%
|
The weighted average discount rate
does not include any contribution from the following, each of which
would be expected to increase the return achieved on the Company's
portfolio of assets: (i) the return expected on the Company's
investment into development stage assets, which are not valued on a
discounted cashflow basis; (ii) the return enhancement associated
with the Company's FX hedging programme; (iii) the increased return
associated with the additional leverage from the RCF.
Weighted average discount rate as at 30 June
2024
|
7.0%
|
(i)
|
Return expected on the Company's
investments into development stage assets
|
+0.4%
|
(ii)
|
Return enhancement associated with
the Company's FX hedging programme
|
+0.4%
|
(iii)
|
Increase in return associated with
the additional leverage from the RCF
|
+0.5%
|
Adjusted average discount rate as at 30 June
2024
|
8.2%
|
Portfolio valuation sensitivities
Figure 12 below shows the
impact of changes to the key input assumptions on NAV with the X
axis indicating the impact of the sensitivities on the NAV per
share. The sensitivities are based on the existing portfolio of
assets as at 30 June 2024 including cash flows of conditional
acquisitions, and as such may not be representative of the
sensitivities once the Company is fully invested and
geared.
For each of the sensitivities
shown, it is assumed that potential changes occur independently
with no effect on any other assumption. As such the sensitivities
also do not capture any potential benefit of a portfolio effect
through diversification.
Figure 12 on page 38 of the Interim
Report shows NAV sensitivities per Ordinary Share (including
Conditional Acquisitions)
1.
Discount rate (levered cost of equity)
A range of discount rates are
applied in calculating the fair value of the investments,
considering the location, technology and lifecycle stage of each
asset as well as leverage and the split of fixed and variable
revenues.
2.
Volumes (Energy Yield P90/P10)
Each asset's valuation assumes a
"P50" level of electricity output based on yield assessments
prepared by technical advisors. The P50 output is the estimated
annual amount of electricity generation that has a 50% probability
of being exceeded - both in any single year and over the long-term
- and a 50% probability of being underachieved. The P50 provides an
expected level of generation over the long-term.
The P90 (90% probability of
exceedance over a 10-year period) and P10 (10% probability of
exceedance over a 10-year period) sensitivities reflect the future
variability of wind speed and solar irradiation and the associated
impact on output, along with the uncertainty associated with the
long-term data sources used to calculate the P50 forecast. The
sensitivities shown assume that the output of each asset in the
portfolio is in line with the P10 or P90 output forecast
respectively for each year of the asset life.
3.
Power price curve
As described above the power price
forecasts for each asset are based on a number of inputs. The
sensitivity assumes a 10% increase or decrease in power prices
relative to the base case for each year of the asset
life.
4.
Inflation
Sensitivity 1: The sensitivity
assumes a 0.5% increase or decrease in inflation relative to the
base case for each year of the asset life.
Sensitivity 2: The sensitivity
assumes a 2.0% increase or decrease in inflation during for a
2-year period relative to the base case of the asset.
5.
Foreign exchange
The Company seeks to manage its
exposure to foreign exchange movements to ensure that (i) the
sterling value of known future construction commitments is fixed;
(ii) sufficient near term distributions from non-sterling
investments are hedged to maintain healthy dividend cover; (iii)
the volatility of the Company's NAV with respect to foreign
exchange movements is limited; and (iv) all settlements and
potential mark-to-market payments on instruments used to hedge
foreign exchange exposure are adequately covered by the Company's
cash balances and undrawn credit facilities.
Of the portfolio as at 30 June
2024, 50% of the NAV is euro denominated. Euro hedges are in place
for all construction payments as well as forecast cash generation
from all euro based investments for the first three years of
operations. The sensitivity applied above shows the impact on NAV
per share of a +/- 10% movement in the GBP:EUR exchange
rate.
Power Prices and Green Certificates
Power Prices Landscape
As described in the Market Outlook
section, over the first two months of 2024, power and gas markets
showed a clear bearish trend, driven by warm weather in the
majority of Europe. The mild weather helped European gas storage
levels remain well above seasonal norms throughout the first
quarter. Forwards power prices began to trend upwards again in
March, primarily due to Asian LNG demand increasing. This increased
LNG demand also came at a time in which outages occurred at
facilities in Qatar, the US, Malaysia and Australia, as well as
maintenance at Norwegian production facilities. Overall across the
first half of 2024, near-term UK and European power prices
generally trended slightly downwards.
The carbon market (which is
inherently linked to power prices) remained volatile over the
period, with the warm weather in January and February putting
downward pressure on EUA European (carbon credit) prices. The weak
gas prices over this period also reinforced the economics behind
coal-to-gas switching, further decreasing EUA prices.
The EUA market saw a rally across
April, likely driven by speculative trading. The increase in gas
prices over the same period will have offered some support to EUA
prices as well. The outcome of the European elections provided
downwards pressure on EUA prices, given the success of the far
right parties.
The UKA (UK carbon credit) market
is less impacted by speculative trading given the relative lack of
liquidity of UKAs when compared with EUAs. The UKA market rallied
with the announcement of the general election, with the expectation
that a new Labour government would limit the supply of free
allowances to industry, which the previous Conservative government
had increased last year.
Figure 13 in the Interim Report
shows the evolution of forward pricing in three of ORIT's key
markets: the general trend is a decline in prices over the 12
months from June 2023 to June 2024.
Day-ahead spot power prices
followed a similar trend to the forwards power market, as can be
seen in Figure 14 in the
Interim Report. A noteworthy development over H1 2024 seen in
day-ahead power prices was the frequency of negative pricing. A
case study on the causes and impacts of negative pricing can be
found in the Interim Report.
Figure 14 on page 41 of the Interim Report shows 2023-24
day-ahead prices.36
36 Sources: N2EX, Nordpool.
Generation-weighted and time-weighted prices
The combination of forward market
prices and independent long-term power price forecasts described
above, together with the PPAs which the Investment Manager has
executed, make up the portfolio's forecasted power only generation
weighted price ("Power only GWP"). The generation weighted price
for a specific technology and location reflects the actual power
price that such generation can expect to earn. It differs from the
time-weighted average price due to its generation profile and the
impact of other generation that is likely to be generating at the
same time. The generation weighted price including subsidies and
additional benefits ("Total GWP") is derived by including subsidies
and additional benefits, such as green certificates. The Power Only
GWP and Total GWP for the period to 2050 are shown in Figure 15 below. The curves are blended
across the markets in which the portfolio's generation assets are
located, weighted by the portfolio generation mix and converted
into £/MWh using the FX spot rate as at 30 June 2024. On average,
the graph shows power only GWP of £52.49/MWh in the period
2024-2028 and £43.74/MWh in the period 2029-2050. Over the short
and medium term, the movements in the power-only GWP are primarily
driven by the acquisition of Ballymacarney (with its 15-year
Microsoft PPA), with the Crossdykes-Sky UK PPA also having an
impact in the shorter term. In the longer term, the change is
driven by the addition of the Irish solar capture price forecast in
the portfolio due to the acquisition of Ballymacarney.
Figure 15 on page 42 of the Interim
Report shows generation-weighted prices.
Figure 16: Capture price discounts
assumptions
Value
|
Market
|
Technology
|
Units
|
2025-2029
|
2030-2034
|
2035-2039
|
2040-2044
|
2045-2050
|
Baseload price
|
GB
|
|
£/MWh (real 2024)
|
76
|
73
|
70
|
66
|
65
|
Capture price discount
|
GB
|
Solar
|
%
|
-10%
|
-19%
|
-23%
|
-25%
|
-25%
|
Capture price discount
|
GB
|
Onshore Wind
|
%
|
-9%
|
-19%
|
-23%
|
-25%
|
-26%
|
Capture price discount
|
GB
|
Offshore Wind
|
%
|
-8%
|
-18%
|
-22%
|
-24%
|
-25%
|
Baseload price
|
FR
|
|
EUR/MWh (real 2024)
|
66
|
79
|
79
|
77
|
72
|
Capture price discount
|
FR
|
Onshore Wind
|
%
|
|
|
|
-10%
|
-11%
|
Capture price discount
|
FR
|
Solar
|
%
|
|
-40%
|
-40%
|
-40%
|
-42%
|
Baseload price
|
SE4
|
|
EUR/MWh (real 2024)
|
49
|
49
|
44
|
43
|
42
|
Capture price discount
|
SE4
|
Onshore Wind
|
%
|
-11%
|
-18%
|
-22%
|
-24%
|
-25%
|
Baseload price
|
FI
|
|
EUR/MWh (real 2024)
|
|
|
|
62
|
59
|
Capture price discount
|
FI
|
Onshore Wind
|
%
|
-17%
|
-20%
|
-21%
|
-19%
|
-19%
|
Baseload price
|
DE
|
|
EUR/MWh (real 2024)
|
|
85
|
86
|
84
|
79
|
Capture price discount
|
DE
|
Onshore Wind
|
%
|
|
|
|
-24%
|
-27%
|
Baseload price
|
I-SEM
|
|
EUR/MWh (real 2024)
|
92
|
89
|
84
|
84
|
85
|
Capture price discount
|
I-SEM
|
Solar
|
%
|
|
|
|
-21%
|
-23%
|
37 Values are not shown where the
relevant asset has no merchant exposure in 3 or more years in the
relevant period.
Case Study
Understanding Negative Prices in European Power
Markets
Negative power prices have been
seen more and more frequently across European power markets
recently.
Recent Trends
In the GB market negative pricing
occurred very little as recently as 2022, but has become more
common in 2023 and 2024 to date.
Figure 17 on page 44 of the Interim
Report shows negative power price hours in the GB
market.
The picture in the rest of Europe
has been more stark this year..Not only has the frequency of
negative pricing increased, the severity of these negative prices
has also increased. A notable example of this occurred in July
2023, where prices in Germany, the Netherlands, and Austria reached
-500 EUR/ MWh, the lowest price permitted by European market
design.
Negative pricing also has an impact
on capture factors38 for merchant assets.
38 An asset's capture factor expresses
the ratio between the assets capture price and the baseload
price.
Understanding the Drivers of Negative
Pricing
Negative prices occur when high
renewable energy output coincides with low demand. However, in
order to better understand what has been happening recently and
form a view on the longer term, it is critical to develop a more
detailed understanding of both the supply and demand
sides.
In any given hour, generators bid
into the day-ahead market at the price which they are willing to be
paid to be dispatched. Simplifying things somewhat, these
generators are then ranked in order of price, and the price for
that hour is set by the most expensive generator which is
dispatched to meet demand.
On the supply side, different types
of generators are incentivised to bid into the day-ahead market at
different prices, dependent on the specific circumstances of a
given generator.
'Shallow' negative pricing, where
prices are a small amount below zero, is driven by the below
bidding behaviours setting prices:
● Renewable
generators pricing in the opportunity cost of lost green
certificates.
● Assets with
limited flexibility accounting for additional start-up and ramp-up
costs.
'Deeper' negative pricing (more
negative than -10 EUR/MWh, for instance) can be driven by the
following bidding behaviours:
● Cogeneration assets that produce heat as well as power may
need to account for the opportunity cost of lost revenue from heat
production.
● Subsidy
schemes such as the RO in GB provide generators with a fixed £/MWh,
so these assets will price in the opportunity cost of this lost
subsidy. This can lead to negative prices in the region of value of
the lost subsidy e.g. c. £70/MWh for an asset with a ROC multiple
of 1.
On the demand side, one factor
influencing the frequency of negative pricing is reduced demand
following the 2022 gas price crisis, which has persisted longer
than some expected. We expect this demand destruction to be
temporary rather than structural. Extremely low demand is required
for assets bidding into the market at the price floor to act as the
price-setting generator. Extremely low demand is, to an extent, a
recent phenomenon. To better understand this, the Dutch market
provides useful context, noting that ORIT does not own any assets
in this market. The Netherlands experienced a 25% year-on-year
increase in solar capacity across 2023, with over half of the new
installations being residential rooftop solar. Rooftop solar
generation cannot be controlled by the system operator, and acts as
negative demand for the purposes of power price formation. The
Dutch market has observed some of the most frequent negative
pricing recently as a result and this also has a knock-on impact to
other markets due to how interconnected European power markets
are.
Where demand is sufficiently low
such that the market's price floor is reached (-500 EUR/MWh in
European markets), it is important to understand the key behaviours
driving this behaviour:
● Some assets
are unable to shut down for non-technical reasons and so bid at the
market's price floor in order to ensure that they are the last
assets to be curtailed during periods of low demand.
● Where
assets benefit from generous CfD subsidies which pay regardless of
how negative the spot price is, these assets will bid at the
market's price floor.
Impact on ORIT's Assets' Performance
Broadly speaking, our assets'
exposure to negative pricing depends on how well-hedged the
portfolio is. It is also important that our assets are valued using
third-party long-term price forecasts which already factor in
negative pricing.
ORIT's active management of the
portfolio has ensured that our portfolios are well protected from
negative prices in the near-term. Recent examples
include:
● PPAs and
operational procedures which enable curtailment in order to protect
against negative prices. Of particular note is an example from
ORIT's Finnish wind farms which is explained in further detail
below
● Execution
of the 10-year corporate PPA between Crossdykes wind farm and Sky
UK Limited
● Acquisition
of Ballymacarney solar farm with its 15-year Microsoft
PPA
Fixed price PPAs such as those
mentioned above mean that assets are no longer exposed to negative
prices in the same way.
Many of ORIT's assets with revenues
from government support schemes are also substantially protected
from negative pricing in the medium-term. For example, the French
solar portfolio receives a fixed price in all periods, and the
Cerisou wind farm in France is paid based on a deemed amount of
generation, provided it successfully turns off during negative
price periods.
The Investment Manager will
continue to seek to hedge revenues under attractive structures and
prices in order to manage the portfolio's exposure to wholesale
prices and, in doing so, manage its exposure to negative prices as
well.
It is important to note that the
specific terms of the PPA will govern the extent to which the asset
is protected from negative prices, highlighting the importance of
specialist expertise such as that provided by the Investment
Manager's Energy Markets Team.
Ongoing Mitigation - Case Study
Where an asset has ongoing exposure
to merchant power prices, the key mitigant to negative price
exposure is being able to proactively curtail production in
response to these prices. An excellent example of this was seen in
November 2023, where a trader's error within the Finnish market
resulted in 10 consecutive hours of spot prices at -€500k/MWh.
Saunamaa and Suolakangas (ORIT's Finnish wind farms) have a high
degree of hedged output, but with some merchant exposure. We
successfully carry out curtailment for these assets during this and
the other periods of negative pricing and, thanks to the hedges
which were in place, made €27k across this period rather than
losing in excess of €250k if the sites had not been curtailed. Both
sites will continue to proactively curtail in response to negative
pricing.
Future Outlook
In the short-term, negative prices
(including deeper negative prices) are likely to persist and may
even become more prevalent in European power markets, as renewables
deployment continues.
Pricing which is at or close to
€0/MWh is a feature of a renewables-dominated electricity system,
however, the consensus view is that the frequency of negative
pricing will stabilise over the long-term. The below analysis from
one of the advisors used for ORIT's power price forecasts shows the
proportion of hours which they believe will be negative, or close
to zero, in their forecast. These negative price hours are taken
into account in the forecasts used in ORIT's valuations.
Period
|
GB
|
Finland
|
SE4
|
I-SEM
|
Germany
|
France
|
2024-2030
|
4%
|
6%
|
4%
|
2%
|
6%
|
5%
|
2031-2035
|
12%
|
17%
|
9%
|
13%
|
13%
|
11%
|
2036-2040
|
17%
|
16%
|
13%
|
19%
|
13%
|
13%
|
2041-2045
|
17%
|
12%
|
15%
|
21%
|
17%
|
15%
|
2046-2050
|
16%
|
10%
|
16%
|
20%
|
21%
|
18%
|
Importantly, deeper negative prices
are forecast to become insignificant. The below table shows the
same analysis, but looking at the % of hours where prices are more
negative than -€10/MWh.
Period
|
GB
|
Finland
|
SE4
|
I-SEM
|
Germany
|
France
|
2024-2030
|
0.00%
|
0.01%
|
0.05%
|
0.00%
|
0.05%
|
0.00%
|
2031-2035
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
2036-2040
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
2041-2045
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
Key reasons for this more positive outlook:
● For new
projects, subsidies offering high degrees of protection against
negative prices are gradually being phased out to discourage
production during negative pricing periods. This shift aims to
reduce the frequency of negative prices by aligning production
incentives with market conditions. A good example of this is the
German market, where the CfD subsidy for new projects has been
restructured over time to reduce incentives for bidding behaviour
which is likely to lead to sustained periods of negative
pricing.
● Increased
deployment of battery storage and other sources of flexible
demand
● Demand
recovery in the short-term as the effects of the 2022-23 energy
crisis unwind
● Increases
in demand more generally over the medium and long-term, driven by
electrification of heat and transport, new sources of demand such
as green hydrogen and e-fuel production, and increased data centre
demand from AI processing
All of the above are also factors
which will support capture factors going forward.
While negative pricing presents
challenges and requires careful management, the Investment Manager
is confident that our proactive hedging strategies and operational
procedures put us in an excellent position to manage these risks
for ORIT going forward.
Portfolio revenue forecasts
Figure 19 presents ORIT's
forecast revenues (on both a proportion-of-the-whole (top) and
absolute revenue (bottom) basis), categorised by price structure,
through to 2050. The revenues are categorised as fixed, via either
subsidy or fixed price PPA, or variable, deriving from the sale of
power on a merchant basis or other revenue streams, such as green
certificates.
Figure 19 on page 48 of the Interim
Report shows fixed vs variable revenue forecast (as at 30 June
2024).39
The portfolio's variable revenues
are concentrated in the medium and longer term forecast, meaning
that movement in wholesale power price forecasts will have a more
muted impact on portfolio-level NAV than would be the case if
variable revenues were distributed evenly across the modelled
horizon, due to the time value impact of discounting.
Compared to the prior 6 months, the
proportion of ORIT's forecast fixed price revenues on a 24-month
look forward basis has increased from 81% to 84%. Some highlights
over this six month period have been Crossdykes' 10 year,
inflation-linked fixed PPA with Sky UK and Ballymacarney's 15 year
fixed price PPA with Microsoft. In addition, the forwards market
has remained volatile across H1 this year and a moderate reduction
in forecast variable power revenues has also contributed to the
portfolio's increased proportion of fixed revenues.
The post-period sale of Ljungbyholm
further increases the proportion of ORIT's forecast fixed revenues.
On a 24-month look forward basis, Ljungbyholm's sale increases this
from 84% to 86%.
The proportion of ORIT's forecast
variable revenues increases in the medium to long-term as subsidies
and PPAs expire (noting that ORIT will continue to actively hedge
its variable power revenues). In the late 2020s, ORIT's merchant
exposure derives primarily from GB and Finland, while into the
2030s and 2040s, GB is the market to which ORIT is currently most
exposed.
ORIT has also focussed on securing
a high proportion of revenues that are inflation-linked - see
Figure 20 below. As at 30
June 2024, 48% of revenues over the next 10 years are
inflation-linked (50% post the Swedish onshore wind
sale).
39 Fixed price revenues derive from
either subsidies, such as ROCs ("Fixed - subsidy") or from power
prices fixed under PPAs ("Fixed - Power"). Variable revenues derive
from merchant or uncontracted power revenues ("Variable - power")
or from other sources of variable revenue, such as the ROC recycle
("Variable - other").
Figure 20 on page 49 of the Interim
Report shows Inflation-linked revenue forecast (as at 30 June
2024).
Green Certificates forecasts
Revenues from green certificates
make up around 2% of the portfolio's revenues over the ten-year
period to 30 June 2034.
The Guarantees of Origin (GoOs) are
issued by the Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB), who operate a
standardised system for the issuance and management of GoOs across
Europe. Although standardised, each GoO is distinguished by country
and technology, with some regions commanding small premiums due to
consumer preferences for locally sourced GoOs. For instance,
Pexaquote currently lists 2024 Dutch wind GoOs at a higher price
than general AIB GoOs. However, local pricing for GoOs is not
considered material across the European countries that ORIT's
assets are located. Additionally, due to the illiquid nature of
local markets, advisors do not yet provide country-specific
forecasts, except for the UK. In the UK, where REGOs are
exclusively applicable, specific pricing is available and therefore
has a separate price forecast to the European countries.
Figure 21 on page 49 of the Interim
Report shows GoO price forecast.
Figure 22 on page 49 of the Interim
Report shows REGO price forecast.
Financial Review
The financial statements of the
Company for the period ended 30 June 2024 are set out within the
Interim Report. These financial statements have been prepared in
accordance with international accounting standards in conformity
with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and the applicable
legal requirements of the Companies Act 2006. In order to continue
providing useful and relevant information to its investors, the
financial statements also refer to the "intermediate holding
companies", which comprise the Company's wholly owned subsidiary,
ORIT Holdings II Limited and its indirectly held wholly owned
subsidiaries ORIT UK Acquisitions Limited and ORIT Holdings
Limited.
Net assets
Net assets have decreased from
£599.0 million as at 31 December 2023 to £592.7 million as at 30
June 2024, largely due to modest increases in the portfolio
valuation offset by costs at the plc and Holding Company level and
the payment of dividends.
The net assets comprise the fair
value of the Company's investments of £582.7 million (2023:
£592.1m) and the Company's cash balance of £11.8 million (2023:
£10m), offset by £1.7 million (2023: £3.1m) of Company's other net
liabilities.
Included in the fair value of the
Company's investments are net liabilities of £184.1 million (2023:
liabilities of £113.9m) held in the intermediate holding companies.
These comprise assets of cash £7.3 million (2023: £13.2m), the
positive mark-to-market value of the FX hedges taken out to
minimise the volatility of cashflows associated with non-UK
portfolios of £6.1 million (2023: £2.3m), other debtors of £3.4
million (2023: £2.4m) and offset by amortised transaction costs
associated with bank loans of £1.5 million (2023: £1.9m), the
principal and interest outstanding on the bank loans of £198.5
million (2023: £131.3m), and other liabilities of £1.2 million
(2023: £2.4m) predominantly relating to accrued transaction costs
not yet paid and outstanding VAT liabilities.
Results as at 30 June 2024
|
30 June
2024
|
31 December
2023
|
|
£m
|
£m
|
Fair value of portfolio of
assets
|
766.7
|
706.0
|
Cash held in intermediate holding
companies
|
7.3
|
13.2
|
Bank loans and accrued interest
held in the intermediate holding companies
|
-198.5
|
-131.3
|
Fair value of other net
assets/(liabilities) in intermediate holding companies
|
7.2
|
4.2
|
Fair value of Company's
investments
|
582.7
|
592.1
|
Company's cash
|
11.8
|
10.0
|
Company's other net
liabilities
|
-1.7
|
-3.1
|
Net asset value as at 31
December
|
592.8
|
599.0
|
Number of shares (excluding
treasury shares) (million)
|
563.7
|
564.9
|
Net asset value per share
(pence)
|
105.2
|
106.0
|
Income
In accordance with the Statement of
Recommended Practice: Financial Statements of Investment Trust
Companies and Venture Capital Trusts ("SORP") issued in July 2022
by the Association of Investment Companies ("AIC"), the statement
of comprehensive income differentiates between the 'revenue'
account and the 'capital' account, and the sum of both items equals
the Company's profit for the year. Items classified as capital in
nature either relate directly to the Company's investment portfolio
or are costs deemed attributable to the long-term capital growth of
the Company (such as a portion of the Investment Manager's
fee).
In the six-month period ending 30
June 2024, the Company's operating income was £18.9 million (HY 23:
£9.1m), including interest income of £12.9 million (HY 2023:
£12.9m), dividends received of £6 million (HY 23: £9.8m) and net
loss on the movement of fair value of investments of £4.1 million
(HY 23: loss of £13.6m). The operating expenses included in the
statement of comprehensive income for the year were £3.5 million
(HY 23: £3.6m). These comprise £2.8 million Investment Manager fees
(HY 23: £2.8m), and other operating expenses of £0.7 million (HY
23: £0.7m). The details on how the Investment Manager's fees are
charged are set out in Note
13 to the financial statements.
Ongoing charges
The ongoing charges ratio ("OCR")
is a measure, expressed as a percentage of average net assets, of
the regular, recurring annual costs of running the Company. It has
been calculated and disclosed in accordance with the AIC
methodology, as annualised ongoing charges (i.e. excluding
acquisition costs and other non-recurring items) divided by the
average published undiluted Net Asset Value in the year. For the
year ended 31 December 2023, the ratio was 1.16% and it is
anticipated that the full-year ratio for the year ended 31 December
2024 will be 1.18%.
Dividends
During the year, interim dividends
totalling £16.7 million were paid (1.45p per share paid in respect
of the quarter to 31 December 2023 (paid in February 2024) and
1.50p per share in respect of the first quarter of 2024 (paid in
May 2024).
Post year end, a further interim
dividend of 1.51p per share was paid on 30 August 2024 in respect
of the quarter ending 30 June 2024 to shareholders recorded on the
register on 16 August 2024.
Dividend cover - operational cash flows (portfolio
level)
For the first half of 2024, the
Company's net cash flows from operations, pre debt amortisation of
£32.3 million, and post external debt amortisation of £22.0 million
supported the payment of £17.0 million dividends to shareholders
for the period, resulting in a dividend coverage of 1.90x and 1.30x
respectively. ORIT's key portfolio characteristics of
diversification, high proportion of fixed revenues and
inflation-linkage help maintain a growing, covered dividend.
Following the sale of the Ljungbyholm wind farm, full year
dividends based on the stated target of 6.02 pence per share, are
expected to be more than fully covered despite the reduced expected
cash flows in the second half of the year.
Six-month period ending 30 June 2024
£
million unless stated
|
6 months to
30 June 2024
|
6 months to
30 June 2023
|
Operational cash flows
|
|
|
UK Solar
|
9.5
|
7.8
|
French Solar
|
5.2
|
6.0
|
Swedish Wind (30-Jun-24 metric
includes lock-box interest only)41
|
2.3
|
3.2
|
Finnish Wind
|
5.4
|
4.2
|
Polish Wind
|
-
|
5.1
|
French Wind
|
1.3
|
1.7
|
German Wind
|
1.8
|
1.5
|
UK Wind
|
6.0
|
3.1
|
UK Offshore Wind
|
9.4
|
8.1
|
Irish Solar
|
3.8
|
-
|
|
44.8
|
40.7
|
SPV level taxes
|
|
|
French Solar, Finnish Wind, Polish
Wind, UK Offshore Wind42
|
-1.3
|
-
|
Interest payable on external debt
|
|
|
French Solar, Polish Wind, French
Wind, German Wind, UK Offshore Wind
|
-4.2
|
-4.5
|
Operational cash flow pre debt
amortisation
|
39.3
|
36.2
|
Company and intermediate holding
company level income and expenses43
|
1.0
|
-4.4
|
Interest and fees payable on
RCF
|
-7.5
|
-3.7
|
Net cash flow from operating
activities pre debt amortisation
|
32.9
|
28.1
|
Dividends paid in respect of
year
|
17.0
|
16.3
|
Portfolio level operational cash
flow dividend cover pre debt amortisation
|
1.9x
|
1.7x
|
External debt amortisation
|
|
|
French Solar, Polish Wind, French
Wind, German Wind, UK Offshore Wind
|
-10.3
|
-10.3
|
Net cash flow from operating
activities
|
22.6
|
17.8
|
Dividends paid in respect of
year
|
17.0
|
16.3
|
Portfolio level operational cash
flow dividend cover
|
1.33x
|
1.09x
|
41
Given the sale of the Ljungbyholm wind farm which completed
post-period with an economic transfer date of 31 December 2023, the
headline dividend cover does not include any operational cash flows
related to the asset however it does include accrued 'locked box'
interest between 31 December 2023 and 30 June 2024.
42 Taxes falling due on operational
asset trading profits (e.g. Corporation Tax in the UK).
43 Company and intermediate holding
company level income and expenses includes receipt of favourable
mark-to-market movements on foreign currency forward
contracts.
ESG & Impact Report
As at 30 June 2024
ACTUAL44
£1,118m
|
605GWh
|
147k
|
Total value of sustainable investments as at 30 June
2024
(incl. total debt and equity
commitments)
-
100% investments committed into renewables
(at 31-Dec 2023:
£1,127m)
|
Renewable electricity generated in H1 2024
(H1 2023:
628GWh)46
|
Estimated equivalent homes powered for a
year
(H1 2023: not reported)
|
|
|
|
150k
|
0.7m
|
76k
|
Estimated equivalent tonnes of CO2 avoided in H1
2024
(H1 2023: not reported)
|
Estimated equivalent new trees required to avoid same
CO2 in H1 2024
(H1 2023: not reported)
|
Estimated equivalent cars off the road to avoid same
CO2 in H1 2024
(H1 2023: not reported)
|
POTENTIAL45
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,394GWh
|
359k
|
|
Potential annual renewable electricity generated once fully
operational
|
Estimated annual equivalent homes powered for a year once
fully operational
|
|
(at 31-Dec 2023:
1,569GWh)
|
(at 31-Dec 2023: 384k)
|
|
|
|
|
383k
|
1.9m
|
194k
|
Estimated equivalent tonnes of CO2 avoided once
fully operational
(at 31-Dec 2023: 400k)
|
Estimated equivalent new trees required to avoid same
CO2 once fully operational
|
Estimated equivalent cars off the road required to avoid same
CO2 once fully operational
|
(at 31-Dec 2023: 2.0m)
|
(at 31-Dec 2023: 203k)
|
44 "Actual" KPIs take into account GWh
generated by the portfolio during the reporting period and includes
generation from the Ljungbyholm onshore wind farm for which a sale
agreement has been signed post period. Calculation methodologies
for "equivalent" KPIs can be found in ORIT's 2024 ESG and Impact
Strategy.
45 All metrics are calculated based on
an estimated annual renewable energy generation of the investment
portfolio once fully operational (including the fifth Irish site
under conditional acquisition and excluding the Ljungbyholm onshore
wind farm for which the sale was completed post period and post
publication of the Q2 factsheet) and on the basis of ORIT's equity
stake. For more information on calculation methodologies, please
refer to ORIT's 2024 ESG and Impact Strategy.
46 Restated from 2023 Interim
Report.
ESG & Impact Strategy
ORIT is an Impact Fund with a core
impact objective to accelerate the transition to net zero through
its investments, building and operating a diversified portfolio of
Renewable Energy Assets.
ORIT enables individuals and
institutions to engage with the energy transition. The renewable
energy generated from ORIT's portfolio of assets supports the
transition to net zero by replacing unsustainable energy sources
with clean power. This intended outcome is the Company's core
impact objective.
The ESG & Impact Strategy
considers all of ORIT's culture, values and activities through
three lenses: Performance, Planet and People - to ensure that
ORIT's activities integrate ESG risks and bring to life additional
impact opportunities.
For a more in-depth understanding of ORIT's ESG & Impact
Strategy, encompassing definitions of ESG and Impact, along with
detailed insights into four impact themes (Stakeholder engagement,
Equality and wellbeing, Innovation, and Sustainable momentum),
please refer to the separately published
ESG & Impact Strategy.
Stewardship and Engagement
The Investment Manager manages
ORIT's investments in line with its Engagement and Stewardship
Policy. Where ORIT has 100% ownership stakes, the Investment
Manager has direct control of the underlying assets, usually
through directorship services. As well as decision making
oversight, the Investment Manager carries out service reviews on
each material third-party service provider. In circumstances where
ORIT does not hold a controlling interest in the relevant Investee
Company, the Investment Manager will secure shareholder rights
through contractual and other arrangements, to, inter alia, ensure
that the renewable energy asset or portfolio company is operated
and managed in a manner that is consistent with ORIT's investment
and ESG Policy. The Investment Manager will always take up
portfolio investment Board seats, attend Board meetings and will
directly use its influence to monitor and support investee
companies on relevant matters to galvanise other shareholders in
line with ORIT's ESG Policies.
ORIT aims for investment-specific
active stewardship, regardless of ownership percentage. The Company
consistently exercises shareholder rights, overseeing approval and
reserved matters. The ORIT Board receives regular reports on
investee performance, including environmental and social issues.
The Investment Manager collaborates on industry risks to drive
positive stewardship outcomes with various stakeholders.
Performance
Impact Objective: Build and
operate a diversified portfolio of Renewable Energy Assets,
mitigating the risk of losses through robust governance structures,
rigorous due diligence, risk analysis and asset optimisation
activities to deliver investment return resilience and the maximum
amount of green energy.
£1,118m
|
41
|
100%
|
Total value of sustainable investments as at 30 June
2024
(incl. total debt and equity
commitments)
-
100% investments committed into
renewables47
(at 31-Dec 2023:
£1,127m)
|
Assets
(at 31-Dec 2023: 37)
|
Of
investments adhere to ORIT's ESG Policy and all transactions in the
period met ORIT's minimum ESG matrix threshold
(at 31-Dec 2023: 100%)
|
|
|
|
605GWh
|
1,394GWh
|
825GWh
|
Renewable electricity generated in H1 2024
(H1 2023:
628GWh)48
|
Potential annual renewable electricity generation once fully
operational
(at 31-Dec 2023:
1,569GWh)
|
Potential annual renewable electricity generation from assets
where ORIT has invested and committed at
construction
(at 31-Dec 2023: 982GWh)
|
Regulatory Disclosures
ORIT is a supporter of the
recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial
Disclosures ("TCFD") and makes a TCFD disclosure in the Annual
Report.
ORIT is classified as an Article 9
product under the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation
("SFDR"). ORIT's most recent SFDR-related disclosures, including
its Principal Adverse Impact Statement is available on its website.
The breakdown of ORIT's investments' alignment to the EU
Taxonomy can be found in the Annual Report.
47 Total asset value including total
debt and equity commitments.
48 Restated from 2023 Interim
Report
Performance initiatives
Delivering investment performance
is fundamental to the ESG & Impact Strategy, to supporting the
transition to net zero, and to being an impact fund. Asset
optimisation initiatives and robust ESG risk management aim to
improve financial resilience and overall performance of the
Company, maximising the amount of green electricity the Company
generates.
Our Investment Manager works with
key partners to mitigate production risks and maximise performance
of ORIT's operational assets.
Project
|
Outcome
|
Recycling old panels: Active
engagement with a recycling company to ensure the sustainable
disposal or reuse of panel components.
|
This initiative is expected to
prevent 500 tonnes of waste from ending up in landfill.
Sustainable Momentum
|
Sustainable transformer upgrade:
ORIT is committed to integrating
sustainable technologies into its operations. Each inverter station
at Breach Solar Farm is equipped with a transformer. Traditionally,
transformers use mineral oils; however, the Investment Manager has
taken a significant step forward by incorporating the latest
advancements in the field transformers.
|
Transformers at Breach Solar Farm
now utilise biobased ester oils instead of conventional mineral
oils. This innovative approach not only enhances the efficiency of
the transformers but also aligns with ORIT's commitment to
environmental stewardship.
Sustainable Momentum
|
Fire risk mitigation at ORIT's French ground-mount
sites: Enhanced safety measures have
been implemented to ensure continuous operation when fire risk is
high during summer months.
|
This proactive approach prevented
any operational shutdowns, safeguarding over €550k in potential
revenue by ensuring the sites remained fully
operational.
Innovation
|
Planet
Impact Objective: Consider
environmental factors to mitigate risks associated with the
construction and operation of assets, enhancing environmental
potential where possible.
ACTUAL49
150k
|
0.7m
|
76k
|
Estimated annual equivalent tonnes of CO2 avoided
in H1 2024
(H1 2023: not reported)
|
Estimated equivalent new trees required to avoid same
CO2 in H1 2024
(H1 2023: not reported)
|
Estimated equivalent cars off the road to avoid the same
CO2 in H1 2024
(H1 2023: not reported)
|
|
|
|
91%
|
2
|
|
Generating sites on renewable import tariffs
(at 31-Dec 2023: 93%)
|
Environmental incidents (minor, and not resulting in any
lasting material effects)
(at 31-Dec 2023: 4)
|
|
POTENTIAL50
|
|
|
|
|
|
383k
|
1.9m
|
194k
|
Estimated equivalent tonnes of CO2 avoided once
fully operational
|
Estimated equivalent new trees required to avoid same
CO2 once fully operational
|
Estimated equivalent cars off the road required to avoid same
CO2 once fully operational
|
(at 31-Dec 2023: 400k)
|
(at 31-Dec 2023: 2.0m)
|
(at 31-Dec 2023: 203k)
|
Maximising ORIT's positive environmental
impact
ORIT recognises the fundamental
role that renewable energy plays in meeting net zero emissions
targets, with an inherently positive impact on the environment.
This is demonstrated by the equivalent tCO2 avoided by
the renewable energy generated during the year.
ORIT's LSE's Green Economy
Mark51 demonstrates the Company's significant
contribution to the transition to a zero-carbon economy.
Carbon measurement and reporting
In its 2023 Annual Report, ORIT
disclosed its fourth measurement of its carbon footprint.
Throughout 2024, the Investment Manager continues to collaborate
with ORIT's outsourcers and contractors to enhance data collection
methods for more precise measurements. As the Company's portfolio
expands, ORIT is committed to reducing its relative emissions
through stakeholder engagement and proactive asset management. As
at 30th June 2024, there were 91% of generating sites on renewable
energy tariffs. The slight reduction since 31st December 2023 is
attributed to the acquisition of the four Irish solar sites, which
at this present time are not on a renewable energy tariff. The four
solar sites share the same electricity import, and have been
considered as one site for the purpose of this
calculation.
49 "Actual" KPIs
take into account GWh generated by the portfolio during the
reporting period and includes generation from the Ljungbyholm
onshore wind farm for which a sale agreement has been signed post
period. Calculation methodologies for "equivalent" KPIs can be
found in ORIT's 2024 ESG and Impact Strategy.
50 All metrics
are calculated based on an estimated annual renewable energy
generation of the investment portfolio once fully operational
(including the fifth Irish site under conditional acquisition and
excluding the Ljungbyholm onshore wind farm for which the sale was
completed post period and post publication of the Q2 factsheet) and
on the basis of ORIT's equity stake. For more information on
calculation methodologies, please refer to ORIT's 2024 ESG and
Impact Strategy.
51 The Green
Economy Mark identifies London-listed companies and funds that
generate between 50% and 100% of total annual revenues from
products and services that contribute to the global green
economy.
Case Study: BizGive environmental impact
retrospective
Over the past three years, ORIT has
collaborated with BizGive to identify and support charities and
organisations aligned with ORIT's impact objectives. Through three
funding cycles, ORIT has donated £130,000 to projects achieving
significant environmental outcomes in areas of climate action,
energy efficiency, promotion of clean energy, and the circular
economy. Below is a detailed breakdown of the initiatives supported
during these funding cycles.
ORIT's fourth impact programme with
BizGive will allocate a further £50,000 of funding. Applications
for funding have been open during the reporting period, closing in
August. Distributions will be made before year-end.
Climate Sisters, Women's Environmental Network
("Wen")
|
ORIT funded the Climate Sisters
project to engage women in climate action. Six workshops reached
250 women, empowering them to advocate for environmental policies
within their communities. This included marginalised groups,
ensuring diverse voices in climate policy discussions.
|
Ashden City Region Network, Ashden
|
With £10,000 from ORIT, the Ashden
City Region Network supported mayoral combined authorities in
reducing carbon emissions and tackling fuel poverty through virtual
workshops that facilitated best practices sharing.
|
Food Justice Wen Forum Events, Women's Environmental
Network
|
ORIT's funding supported two
high-impact Food Justice Wen Forum events that raised awareness
about food and climate justice, showcasing the Just FACT "Blueprint
Publication" and the Feminist Green New Deal food justice policy
paper.
|
Cambridge Hands on Science Summer Roadshow, Cambridge Hands on
Science (CHaOS)
|
The Cambridge Hands on Science
Summer Roadshow saw 100 students from the University of Cambridge
carry out school visits to 7,300 children. The visits promoted STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) education through hand-on
sustainability theme experiments to inspire future generations to
contribute to environmental protection.
|
Diversifying Climate Leadership National Project, Citizens
UK
|
ORIT's £10,000 funding developed 45
community leaders from underrepresented communities to organise
local climate justice campaigns, addressing issues like public
transport and home energy efficiency.
|
Under-represented Student Scholarship Opportunity, East of
England Energy Group
|
ORIT provided a small scholarship
for two students to study an MSc in Energy Engineering at the
University of East Anglia, UK. These students had previously been
unable to attend due to financial constraints, their disadvantaged
backgrounds, and racial discrimination. These two students have now
successfully enrolled in the course.
|
Championing Clean Energy, Aspire Oxfordshire Community
Enterprise Ltd
|
This charity was established to
convene and engage partners in designing an inclusive recruitment
pathway into retrofit for Oxfordshire, focusing on education,
training, and employment recommendations. They contribute to
inclusive climate action and support Oxfordshire's inclusive
economy, economic development, and green skills agendas.
|
Home Energy for New Scots, The Welcoming
Association
|
With £9,524, ORIT supported energy
efficiency measures in 76 households, reducing energy consumption
and bills. The project also provided energy advice to vulnerable
new local residents.
|
Portsmouth Library of Things and Repair Café, Share
(Portsmouth)
|
The Portsmouth Library of Things
and Repair Café, funded by ORIT, improved home insulation and
energy savings for 49 households. The project provided access to
tools and workshops that supported residents in making
energy-efficient improvements.
|
Generation Retrofit Advisor Training Bootcamps, Generation
UK
|
ORIT's £10,000 funding trained 16
individuals as retrofit advisors, supporting the green transition
by improving the energy efficiency of buildings and promoting
sustainable practices.
|
Zink Energy Advice and Support, The Zink Project
CIO
|
ORIT's funding provided fuel
vouchers and energy management support, delivering 223 appointments
to address long-term energy issues and reducing the need for
foodbank services.
|
Selsey Care Shop, Selsey Community Forum
|
The charity runs an extensive
proactive telephone and face to face service offering debt advice
and counselling to alleviate fuel poverty, through the promotion of
energy efficiency.
|
Community Grants, Connector Media CIC
|
ORIT allocated £1,000 to supply
emergency aid to 150 refugee families, helping them manage
energy-related challenges and improve overall
wellbeing.
|
Championing Clean Energy, Cumbria Action for
Sustainability
|
ORIT funded a community-led project
in Cumbria, UK, to raise awareness and promote the adoption of
clean energy and energy efficiency solutions. This initiative
included community engagement events, resource packs, and thermal
imaging training.
|
Green Doctors, Groundworks UK
|
ORIT has donated £12,500 to Green
Doctors to upskill their team in England and Wales. Green Doctors
provide free energy advice to help residents reduce bills, improve
wellbeing, and save energy. The funding trained officers and senior
Green Doctors for retrofitting assessments and saving households
more money. Each Green Doctor conducts over 500 visits annually,
saving households £350 on average by promoting energy
efficiency.
|
The Upper Eden Renewable Energy Programme, The Neighbourhood
Project CIC
|
ORIT funded this programme to
support community-led renewable energy projects in Upper Eden,
reducing carbon emissions and promoting local engagement in clean
energy initiatives. This was achieved through community awareness
efforts, including information sharing, engaging community talks
and workshops whilst supporting the Renewables Action
Group.
|
Empowering Girls Through Tech for Good, Girls into Coding
Community Interest Group
|
ORIT allocated £7,100 to develop
renewable energy-themed robotics kits for girls, organising
workshops to educate them about renewable energy technologies and
inspire careers in sustainability.
|
Blythe Turbine Vawt, University of Aberdeen
|
The Blythe Turbine Vawt project
installed and innovative hybrid wind and solar turbine at a local
secondary school, educating students about renewable energy
technologies and promoting environmental awareness.
|
|
| |
Craftbar, Convenience Gallery CIC
|
ORIT invested £2,000 in Craftbar,
delivering 12 workshops to educate 198 participants on sustainable
making and circular design, promoting the reuse of materials and
reducing waste.
|
Girls Innovating to Reduce Waste Through Tech, Girls into
Coding Community Interest Company
|
ORIT supported workshops for girls
on reducing waste through technology, developing educational
modules and robotics kits themed around the circular economy to
raise awareness about sustainable practices.
|
Impact Tracking
Who?
|
How much?
|
What?
|
Impact themes
|
Women & marginalised
groups
Socio-economic disadvantaged
students and children
Migrants, LGBTQ+ communities and
vulnerable groups
Educationally disadvantaged
individuals
|
£130,000
|
Climate action
Energy efficiency
Promotion of clean
energy
Circular economy
|
Equality & Wellbeing
Stakeholder Engagement
Innovation
Sustainable Momentum
|
People
Impact Objective: Evaluate
social considerations to mitigate risks and promote a 'Just
Transition' to clean energy.
148
|
51
|
0
|
Students benefitting from social initiatives
(H1 2023: 327)
|
Estimated full-time equivalent
("FTE") jobs created
(H1 2023: 232)
|
RIDDORs52
(at 31-Dec 2023: 0)
|
52
RIDDOR: Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and
Dangerous Occurrences Regulations.
Managing our impact on society
Investing in renewable energy has
natural positive impacts on people and for the wider society by
benefitting the economy. By channelling capital towards "homegrown
renewables" ORIT is also contributing to energy security,
preventing future energy crises resulting from reliance on
unsustainable global fossil fuel markets.
It is also vital the Company
mitigates any possible negative impacts and risks to people as the
Company invests, constructs, and operates our portfolio of
renewable assets. ORIT has clear policies and governance structures
to achieve this. Some social factors that ORIT and our Investment
Manager consider to be the most important during due diligence and
ongoing monitoring of assets include:
● Health and
safety
● Diversity
and inclusion
● Promoting a
Just Transition (workers, community and customers)
ORIT's statement on principal
adverse impacts can be found on its website, octopusrenewablesinfrastructure.com; see '2023
ORIT PAI Statement' in the Publications section.
Health and Safety Approach
ORIT recognises its health and
safety responsibilities and keeping people safe remains its highest
priority. ORIT has put arrangements in place with its Investment
Manager to ensure that health and safety risks are managed
effectively.
The Investment Manager employs
specialist Health, Safety and Environment ('HSE') consultants and
additionally has employed a Head of Health and Safety to ensure
that robust risk oversight and a proactive approach are embedded
into ORIT's model of investing and managing assets.
This integration is achieved
through:
● Technical
compliance standards
● Diligence
and benchmarking of contractors
● Audits and
ongoing oversight
● Data
collection and continuous improvement
Even with minority stakes,
performance is tracked through board meeting attendance. The
Investment Manager monitors various accident and incident
classifications, including those reportable to the UK Health &
Safety Executive (RIDDORs) or equivalent local bodies.
International incidents comparable to RIDDORs are flagged under our
statutory reporting guidance to ensure a consistent approach
wherever possible outside the UK. HSE incidents are investigated by
the in‑house Asset Management Team and third-party HSE advisors.
Root cause analysis, lessons learned, and necessary procedural
changes are ensured.
RIDDORs
|
Lost time
injuries
|
Near misses
|
Personal
injuries
|
Minor
equipment
|
|
(>7
days)
|
|
|
damage
incidents
|
0
|
0
|
9
|
1 (first
aid)
|
15
|
The overall safety performance was
positive during the reporting period, with no significant risks to
highlight. There was one minor first-aid injury to report across
the portfolio, as well as nine near misses, fifteen damage-only
incidents, and 2 environmental incidents. The
environmental incidents reported were minor and did not result in
any lasting material effects. Incidents have been satisfactorily
resolved, and applicable lessons have been learned.
Diversity and Inclusion
Equality and wellbeing are
fundamental to ORIT's impact ambitions. This is reflected in our
Company policies and in the way that the Company operates
externally, through understanding the approach that our third-party
providers take to diversity and inclusion, and suggesting ways to
improve this wherever possible. The Investment Manager provides
directors to the underlying subsidiary companies and ensures
diversity is considered when appointing them.
The Company's Board is made up of a
complementary mixture of social backgrounds, gender diversity and
ethnicity. The Company' complies with the FCA's diversity
targets on the representation of women and ethnic
minorities:
● At least 40% of
the board should be women.
● At least one of
the senior board positions or Senior Independent Director ("SID")
should be a woman.
● At least one
member of the board should be from an ethnic minority background
excluding white ethnic groups (as set out in categories used by the
Office for National Statistics).
Promoting a "Just Transition"
A "Just Transition" refers to the
equitable distribution of benefits in the shift to clean energy.
ORIT actively engages with workers, local communities and
customers, focusing on job creation, community benefits and fair
access to green energy.
|
Strategy's aim:
|
Performance KPIs:
|
Workers - Job Creation
|
Enhance socio-economic distribution
and equity by supporting the creation of decent jobs through ORIT's
partners and subcontractors. This is achieved by their commitment
to adhere to standards of equal opportunities, workplace best
practices, diversity, and inclusion, coupled with a focus on
promoting local employment opportunities.
|
● 51 estimated
FTE jobs supported.
|
Community - Engagement, Voice and Benefit
|
Empower local communities by
establishing avenues for benefits such as through community benefit
schemes, educational engagement with local schools via workshops
and site visits, and support of local charities. As ORIT's
portfolio expands, these impact partnerships are designed to create
a more significant and lasting impact across a diverse range of
beneficiaries. Applicability of community initiatives will be
determined on a portfolio-by-portfolio basis. Proactively engaging
with communities and stakeholders from the outset, ORIT aims to
secure social license for its investments, particularly in
extending the operational lifespan of its assets.
|
● £1,203,000 per
year of community benefit funds.
● £340,000 annual
impact budget.
● 148 students
benefitting from social initiatives.
|
Customers - Affordable Green Energy
|
Deliver societal benefits by
supplying affordable, clean energy to the grid. This not only aims
to lower energy bills but also to enhance energy security in
regions with ORIT's assets.
|
● 147k estimated
equivalent number of homes powered by ORIT's
assets53.
|
53 Metric based on actual production
generated by ORIT's assets during the reporting period.
People initiatives
Alongside keeping people safe, ORIT
considers our potential impact on people. People initiatives
contribute to solutions to engage communities and promote a "Just
Transition" to clean energy.
Case Study: Inspiring the Next
Generation
Sustainable Momentum
ORIT has a goal to inspire the next
generation by teaching them about renewable energy and why it is
important to the world they will grow up in. ORIT understands it
has a unique opportunity to have an impact by using its sites and
engineers as valuable teaching resources. For the third year now,
ORIT has partnered with its asset managers and Earth Energy
Education, an organisation that specialises in educational site
visits and school workshops to inspire the next generation of
engineers and scientists and foster a passion for renewable
energy.
In June, ORIT and Earth Energy
Education organised workshops and site visits to Chisbon Solar Farm
with St Andrews Primary School and Engaines Primary School. The
events hosted 148 students in years 1 and 6 to learn about
renewable energy sources, how they work, why they are important to
our future, and the biodiversity efforts done on the sites. Earth
Energy Education conducted a comprehensive workshop, focusing on
the importance of renewable energy and the transition from fossil
fuels. The day began with an introduction to the fundamentals of
solar energy, demonstrating how solar panels generate direct
current (DC) and how it can be converted to alternating current
(AC) using an inverter. The students experimented with energy
sticks and simple circuits, enhancing their understanding of
electricity flow. There was also a hands-on activity with
solar cells where the students tried to bring buzzers, lights, and
motors to life while simultaneously learning about the reliability
challenges of renewable energy.
At the solar farm, the students
engaged in hands-on activities, including estimating the number of
solar panels and understanding the role of combiner boxes and
inverters. Using mapping compasses, they learned why the panels
face south and discussed the earth's rotation. The visit also
included a biodiversity segment where the students conducted a bug
hunt among blooming wildflowers and observed active beehives,
gaining insights into the site's ecosystem. The experience
concluded with a reminder about the importance of wise energy use
and the potential for careers in renewable energy.
Activities such as these provide
young students with real-world exposure to renewable energy
technology, sparking curiosity and interest in the
behind-the-scenes workings of the sector. By understanding how
renewable energy works and why it is important from a young age,
ORIT hopes to inspire the next generation of leaders to incorporate
sustainable practices in their future lifestyle or pursue careers
in the renewable energy sector.
Efforts like this can also help
mitigate "climate anxiety" in younger generations. Climate anxiety
is a distress related to concerns about the impacts of climate
change and is becoming prevalent in younger generation, with the
strongest proven treatment being "taking action"54.
Learning about how renewable energy works and the potential careers
in the sector can help the students acknowledge how much progress
is being made to mitigate climate change and understand how they
can help in the future.
The workshops and site visits
provided the students with a practical understanding of renewable
energy and its challenges, inspiring future generations to
contribute to a sustainable planet.
Impact Tracking
Who?
|
How much?
|
What?
|
Impact themes
|
Students from St Andrews Primary
School and Engaines Primary School
|
148 students across 4 visits during
June, 2024
|
Site visits
Hands-on workshops
|
Stakeholder Engagement
Equality and Wellbeing
|
54
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-climate-change-keeping-you-up-at-night-you-may-have-climate-anxiety-202206132761
UN
SDG specific contributions for Performance, Planet and
People
2
- Zero Hunger
2.1 - End hunger and ensure access by all people, in
particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including
infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year
round
ORIT's funding supported two
high-impact Food Justice Wen Forum events that raised awareness
about food and climate justice.
4
- Quality Education
4.1, 4.5 & 4.7 - Provide free, quality education leading
to effective learning outcomes that can also promote sustainable
development. Implement this whilst eliminating gender disparities
and ensuring equal access to all levels of
education
Partnership with the Good Bee
Company and Earth Energy Education to provide free education
programmes and site visits to local schools. Funding of multiple
charities through BizGive supporting projects that drive STEM
learning, climate action, biodiversity conservation, and community
renewables.
5
- Gender Equality
5.5 - Ensure women's full and effective participation and
equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making
in political, economic and public life
ORIT funded initiatives that engage
women or girls in Climate Action or STEM subjects (Wen and girls
into Coding). ORIT's Investment Manager has a robust Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion policy.
7
- Affordable and Clean Energy
7.1, 7.2 & 7.3 - By 2030, ensure universal access to
affordable, reliable and modern energy services, increase the share
of renewable energy in the global energy mix, and increase the
global rate of energy efficiency 7.a - Cooperation with regards to
research and investment in clean energy infrastructure and
technology
Provided renewable energy to the
grid and provided renewable investment opportunities. Construction
underway to add renewable energy capacity. Supported initiatives
that promote clean energy through BizGive.
8
- Decent Work and Economic Growth
8.5 - Provide full and productive employment and decent work
for all
Extensive Health and Safety
measures ensures employees are not exposed to risk. Supply chain
analysis and strengthened policies to ensure labour rights upheld
across ORIT's suppliers.
9
- Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
9.2 & 9.4 - Promote sustainable industrialisation and
upgrade/retrofit infrastructure to make them
sustainable
Investment into development,
operational and construction assets have helped support jobs. Site
upgrades and works have significantly reduced production losses,
actively supporting the production of more green power and helping
ORIT's assets perform more efficiently.
10
- Reducing Inequalities
10.2 - By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and
political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability,
race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other
status
ORIT embodies this target in their
everyday business practices as well as through their funding to the
Diversifying Climate Leadership National Project.
12
- Responsible Consumption and Production
12.5 & 12.7 - By 2030, substantially reduce waste
generation through prevention, reduction, recycling reuse while
also promoting procurement practices that are sustainable, in
accordance with national policies and priorities
ORIT has funded two organisations
with waste reduction at their core and actively promotes waste
reduction and sustainable procurement practices in its everyday
operations.
13
- Climate Action
13.1 - Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate
related hazards and natural disasters.
13.3 - Improve education, awareness-raising and human and
institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation,
impact reduction and early warning
Technical due diligence carried out
on all new investments. Biodiversity and habitat management plans
proposed for most sites as planning requirement. Physical climate
change risks considered and mitigated (e.g. flood risk mitigation
strategy) and transition risks forecasted (e.g. low power price
scenarios).
Through many of its initiatives,
ORIT strives to increase education and awareness related to climate
change and impact reduction.
15
- Life on Land
15.5 - Take urgent and significant action to reduce the
degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and,
by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened
species
Threatened and non-threatened
species monitored through ecological surveys and biodiversity
plans. Additional biodiversity initiatives implemented beyond
planning requirement.
Interim Management Report
The Directors are required to
provide an Interim Management Report in accordance with the
Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") Disclosure Guidance and
Transparency Rules ("DTR"). The Chair's Statement and the
Investment Manager's Report in this Interim Report provide details
of the important events which have occurred during the period and
their impact on the financial statements. The following statements
on principal risks and uncertainties, related party transactions,
going concern and the Directors' Responsibility Statement ("DRS")
below, together constitute the Interim Management Report for the
Company for the six months ended 30 June 2024. The outlook for the
Company for the remaining six months of the year ending 31 December
2024 is discussed in the Chair's Statement and the Investment
Manager's Report.
Risk and Risk Management
The Company's approach to risk
governance and its risk review process are set out in the risks and
risk management section of the 2023 Annual Report. The principal
risks to the achievement of the Company's objectives are unchanged
from those reported in the 2023 Annual Report, with the key
principal risks being:
● Changes to inflation and interest rates
- the Company's investments are
partially index-linked and therefore changes to inflation rates
will impact the Company's cashflows. Changes in interest rates may
affect the valuation of the investment portfolio by impacting the
valuation discount rate and also impact the cost of financing
available to the Company. This continues to be a heightened risk in
the current macro-economic environment.
● Power prices - the risk that the income and value of the Company's
investments may be adversely impacted by changes in the prevailing
market prices of electricity and prices achievable for off-taker
contracts. Given the nature of the investments, valuations are
sensitive to movements in power prices. To mitigate the impact of
this risk, the Investment Manager has fixed 84% of revenues to 30
June 2026.
● Risks associated with borrowing
- the use of leverage may increase
the volatility of the Company NAV, may significantly increase the
Company's investment risk and could lead to an inability to meet
financial obligations. Risks include refinancing risk, covenant
breaches, over-gearing and possible enhanced loss on poor
performing assets.
● Asset specific risks -
circumstances may arise that adversely affect the
performance of the relevant renewable energy asset. These include
health and safety, grid connection, material damage or degradation,
equipment failures and environmental risks.
The experience of the Company's
Investment Manager and the diversification of the Company's
portfolio continue to be the key mitigation for these risks. The
Company's 2023 ESG & Impact Report, published on 24 March 2024,
details examples of specific projects that the Investment Manager
has undertaken to mitigate some of these risks in the
period.
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures
("TCFD")
The FCA issued a rule, effective
for periods beginning on or after January 2021, for UK listed
companies to start to report against the TCFD, with other companies
to follow. Whilst not currently mandated to make a TCFD disclosure,
as investment trusts are currently excluded from the requirement,
ORIT supports the TCFD's aims and objectives and voluntarily
reports in line with the rule to help ensure best practice
disclosures. Material climate-related financial disclosures can
help support investment decisions as we move towards a low-carbon
economy. The Company is acutely aware of the risks of climate
change and through its investment mandate, believes it is well
placed to contribute to solutions and harness the opportunities
that arise from a transition to net zero. However, no company is
isolated from climate change, and the disclosures below outline the
climate-related risks ORIT faces. Our TCFD approach is detailed on
pages 92 to 109 of the 2023 Annual Report. The Company is pleased
to confirm that it has included climate-related financial
disclosures aligned with the four recommendations and the eleven
recommended disclosures provided in the TCFD's 2021 report
'Implementing the Recommendations of the Task Force on
Climate-related Financial Disclosures', which included additional
guidance for Asset Owners and Asset Managers.
Related party transactions
The Company's AIFM is considered a
related party under the Listing Rules.
Until 31 July 2024, the Company had
appointed Octopus AIF Management Limited ("OAIFM") to be the
alternative investment fund manager of the Company for the purposes
of Directive 2011/61/EU of the European Parliament and of the
Council on Alternative Investment Fund Managers. Accordingly, OAIFM
was responsible for the portfolio management of the Company and for
exercising the risk management function in respect of the Company.
OAIFM delegated portfolio management services to Octopus Renewables
Limited (trading as Octopus Energy Generation), the Company's
Investment Manager (the "Investment Manager").
On 31 July 2024, the Company
appointed Octopus Energy AIF Management Limited ("OEAIFM") to be
the alternative investment fund manager of the Company ("AIFM") for
the purposes of Directive 2011/61/EU of the European Parliament and
of the Council on Alternative Investment Fund Managers. Accordingly
from 31 July 2024, OEAIFM is responsible for the portfolio
management of the Company, for exercising the risk management
function in respect of the Company, and for the administration of
the Company. The AIFM has delegated portfolio management services
to the Investment Manager and administration services to Apex
Listed Companies Services (UK) Limited (the
"Administrator").
There have been no changes to the
portfolio fund management team or fee arrangements as a result of
the change of AIFM. OEAIFM receives from the Company a management
fee of 0.95% per annum of Net Asset Value up to and including £500
million and 0.85% per annum of Net Asset Value in excess of £500
million, payable quarterly in arrears. No performance fee or
asset level fees are payable to the Investment Manager under the
Management Agreement.
Details of the amounts paid to the
Company's former AIFM and the Directors during the period are
included in the Note 13 to
the Interim Financial Statements.
Going concern
The Directors have reviewed
comprehensive cash flow forecasts prepared by the Company's
Investment Manager which are based on prudent market data and
believe, based on these forecasts, that it is appropriate to
prepare the financial statements of the Company on a going concern
basis.
In arriving at their conclusion
that the Company has adequate financial resources to continue in
operational existence for the foreseeable future, the Directors
were mindful that the Group had unrestricted cash of £23.02 million
as at 30 June 2024 and available headroom on its RCF of £74.8
million. The Company's net assets at 30 June 2024 were £593 million
and total expenses for the period were £2.79 million, which, when
annualised, represented approximately 1.18% of average net assets
during the period. At the date of approval of this document, based
on the aggregate of investments and cash held, the Company has
substantial operating expenses cover.
The Directors have fully considered
each of the Company's investments. The Directors do not foresee any
immediate material risk to the Company's investment portfolio and
income from underlying SPVs. A prolonged and deep market decline
could lead to falling values to the underlying business and
interruptions to cash flow, however the Company currently has more
than sufficient liquidity to meet any future
obligations.
The covenants of the RCF have been
tested and are not expected to be breached, even in downside
scenarios. Plausible downside scenarios include a decrease in
wholesale energy prices, a decrease in output and an increase in
the discount rate applied to the underlying cash flow forecasts.
While in some downside scenarios, the headroom available on the RCF
will be lower, the Directors remain confident that the Company has
sufficient cash balances and headroom in the RCF held by an
intermediate holding company, in order to fund the commitments
detailed in note 15 to the financial statements, should they become
payable.
The Directors continue to adopt the
going concern basis of accounting in preparing the unaudited
financial statements while recognising that the Articles of
Association of the Company require a continuation vote at every
fifth Annual General Meeting ("AGM"). As per Article 163 of the
Articles of Association, the Board will propose that shareholders
pass an ordinary resolution in 2025 on the continuation of the
Company, with the AGM expected to be around June 2025. Shareholders
will be consulted on this topic, together with the Company's
broker.As such, the Directors are satisfied that the Company has
sufficient resources to continue to operate for the foreseeable
future, a period of not less than 12 months from the date of this
report. Accordingly, they continue to adopt the going concern basis
in preparing these financial statements.
Responsibility Statement of the Directors
The Directors acknowledge
responsibility for the interim results and approve this Interim
Report. The Directors confirm that to the best of their
knowledge:
a) the condensed
financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IAS 34
"Interim Financial Reporting" and give a true and fair view of the
assets, liabilities and financial position and the profit of the
Company as required by the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and
Transparency Rules. DTR 4.2.4R;
b) the interim
management report, included within the Chair's Statement and
Investment Manager's Report, includes a fair review of the
information required by DTR 4.2.7R and DTR 4.2.8R.
This responsibility statement has
been approved by the Board.
Philip Austin MBE
Chair
13 September 2024
Financial Statements
Condensed Statement of Comprehensive Income
|
|
For the six-month period
ended
30 June 2024
|
For the six-month period
ended
30 June 2023
|
|
Note
|
Revenue
£'000
|
Capital
£'000
|
Total
£'000
|
Revenue
£'000
|
Capital
£'000
|
Total
£'000
|
Investment income
|
3
|
18,724
|
-
|
18,724
|
22,661
|
-
|
22,661
|
Movement in fair value of
investments
|
|
-
|
(4,106)
|
(4,106)
|
-
|
(13,621)
|
(13,621)
|
Total net income
|
|
18,724
|
(4,106)
|
14,618
|
22,661
|
(13,621)
|
9,040
|
Management fees
|
4
|
(2,062)
|
(687)
|
(2,749)
|
(2,109)
|
(703)
|
(2,812)
|
Other expenses
|
|
(728)
|
-
|
(728)
|
(610)
|
(104)
|
(714)
|
Net finance income
|
|
159
|
-
|
159
|
42
|
-
|
42
|
Net foreign exchange
losses
|
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(29)
|
(29)
|
Profit/(loss) before taxation
|
|
16,093
|
(4,793)
|
11,300
|
19,984
|
(14,457)
|
5,525
|
Taxation
|
5
|
(171)
|
171
|
-
|
(184)
|
184
|
-
|
Profit/(loss) and total comprehensive income for the
period
|
|
15,922
|
(4,622)
|
11,300
|
19,798
|
(14,273)
|
5,525
|
Earnings/(loss) per Ordinary share
(pence) - basic and diluted
|
7
|
2.82p
|
(0.82p)
|
2.00p
|
3.50p
|
(2.53p)
|
0.97p
|
The 'Total' column of this
statement is the profit and loss account of the Company and the
'Revenue' and 'Capital' columns represent supplementary information
prepared under guidance issued by the Association of Investment
Companies. All expenses are presented as revenue items except 25%
of the investment management fee, which is charged as a capital
item within the Statement of Comprehensive Income. Costs incurred
on aborted transactions are charged as capital items within the
Statement of Comprehensive Income.
All revenue and capital items in
the above statement derive from continuing operations.
The accompanying notes are an
integral part of these financial statements.
Condensed Statement of Financial Position
|
Notes
|
As at
30 June 2024 (unaudited)
£'000
|
As at
31 December 2023 (audited)
£'000
|
Non-current assets
|
|
|
|
Investments at fair value through
profit or loss
|
8
|
582,665
|
592,121
|
Current assets
|
|
|
|
Trade and other
receivables
|
|
138
|
143
|
Cash and cash
equivalents
|
|
11,822
|
10,012
|
|
|
11,960
|
10,155
|
Current liabilities: amounts falling due within one
year
|
|
|
|
Trade and other payables
|
|
(1,839)
|
(3,237)
|
|
|
(1,839)
|
(3,237)
|
Net current assets
|
|
10,121
|
6,918
|
Net assets
|
|
592,786
|
599,039
|
Capital and reserves
|
|
|
|
Share capital
|
9
|
5,649
|
5,649
|
Share premium account
|
|
217,283
|
217,283
|
Special reserve
|
10
|
338,613
|
339,500
|
Capital reserve
|
|
9,134
|
13,756
|
Revenue reserve
|
|
22,107
|
22,851
|
Total shareholders' funds
|
|
592,786
|
599,039
|
Net assets per Ordinary Share
(pence)
|
11
|
105.15p
|
106.04p
|
The unaudited interim financial
statements were approved by the Board of Directors and authorised
for issue on 13 September 2024 and were signed on its behalf
by:
Philip Austin MBE
Chair
The accompanying notes are an
integral part of these interim financial statements. Incorporated
in England and Wales with registered number 12257608.
Condensed Statement of Changes in Equity
For the period ended 30 June 2024
(Unaudited)
|
Notes
|
Share
capital
£'000
|
Share premium account
£'000
|
Special reserve
£'000
|
Revenue reserve
£'000
|
Capital reserve
£'000
|
Total shareholders' funds
£'000
|
Opening equity as at 1 January 2024
|
|
5,649
|
217,283
|
339,500
|
22,851
|
13,756
|
599,039
|
Shares bought back and held in
treasury
|
12
|
-
|
-
|
(883)
|
-
|
-
|
(883)
|
Costs on share buybacks
|
|
-
|
-
|
(4)
|
-
|
-
|
(4)
|
Profit and total comprehensive
income/(expense) for the period
|
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
15,922
|
(4,622)
|
11,300
|
Dividends paid
|
6
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(16,666)
|
-
|
(16,666)
|
Closing equity as at 30 June 2024
|
|
5,649
|
217,283
|
338,613
|
22,107
|
9,134
|
592,786
|
For the period ended 30 June 2023
(Unaudited)
|
Notes
|
Share
capital
£'000
|
Share premium account
£'000
|
Special reserve
£'000
|
Revenue reserve
£'000
|
Capital reserve
£'000
|
Total shareholders' funds
£'000
|
Opening equity as at 1 January
2023
|
|
5,649
|
217,283
|
339,500
|
17,913
|
37,915
|
618,260
|
Profit and total comprehensive
income/(expense) for the period
|
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
19,798
|
(14,273)
|
5,525
|
Dividends paid
|
6
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(15,536)
|
-
|
(15,536)
|
Closing equity as at 30 June
2023
|
|
5,649
|
217,283
|
339,500
|
22,175
|
23,642
|
608,249
|
The Company's distributable reserve
consists of the special reserve, capital reserve attributable to
realised gains and revenue reserve.
The accompanying notes are an
integral part of these financial statements.
The issued capital and reserves are
fully attributable to the shareholders of the Company.
Condensed Statement of Cash Flows
|
Notes
|
For the
six-month period ended
30 June 2024
(unaudited)
£'000
|
For the
six-month period ended
30 June 2023
(unaudited)
£'000
|
Operating activities cash flows
|
|
|
|
Profit before taxation
|
|
11,300
|
5,525
|
Adjustments for:
|
|
|
|
Movement in fair value of
investments
|
8
|
4,106
|
13,621
|
Investment income from
investments
|
3
|
(18,724)
|
(22,661)
|
Operating cash flow before movements in working
capital
|
|
(3,318)
|
(3,515)
|
Changes in working capital:
|
|
|
|
Increase in trade and other
receivables
|
|
5
|
(80)
|
Decrease in trade
payables
|
|
(1,398)
|
(332)
|
Distributions from
investments
|
8
|
24,627
|
9,800
|
Net cash flow from operating activities
|
|
19,916
|
5,873
|
Investing activities cash flows
|
|
|
|
Costs associated with acquiring the
portfolio of assets
|
|
(553)
|
(658)
|
Net cash flow used in investing activities
|
|
(553)
|
(658)
|
Financing activities cash flows
|
|
|
|
Dividends paid to Ordinary
Shareholders
|
6
|
(16,666)
|
(15,536)
|
Shares bought back and held in
treasury
|
12
|
(883)
|
-
|
Costs on share buybacks
|
|
(4)
|
-
|
Net cash flow used in financing activities
|
|
(17,553)
|
(15,536)
|
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash
equivalents
|
|
1,810
|
(10,321)
|
Cash and cash equivalents at start of period
|
|
10,012
|
10,603
|
Cash and Cash equivalents at end of period
|
|
11,822
|
282
|
Notes to the Condensed Unaudited Financial
Statements
For the period ended 30 June 2024
1.
General information
Octopus Renewables Infrastructure
Trust plc ("ORIT" or the "Company") is a Public Company Limited by
Ordinary Shares incorporated in England and Wales on 11 October
2019 with registered number 12257608. The Company is a closed-ended
investment company with an indefinite life. The Company commenced
its operations on 10 December 2019 when the Company's Ordinary
Shares were admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange. The
Directors intend, at all times, to conduct the affairs of the
Company as to enable it to qualify as an investment trust for the
purposes of section 1158 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010, as
amended.
The registered office and principal
place of business of the Company 6th Floor, 125 London Wall,
London, EC2Y 5AS.
The Company's investment objective
is to provide investors with an attractive and sustainable level of
income returns, with an element of capital growth, by investing in
a diversified portfolio of Renewable Energy Assets in Europe and
Australia.
The interim condensed unaudited
financial statements of the Company (the "interim financial
statements") are for the six-month period ended 30 June 2024 and
comprise only the results of the Company, as all of its
subsidiaries are measured at fair value through profit or loss
following the amendment to IFRS 10 as explained below in Note 2.
The comparatives shown in these interim financial statements refer
to the six-month period ended 30 June 2023 and as at 31 December
2023.
Until 31 July 2024, the Company had
appointed Octopus AIF Management Limited ("OAIFM") to be the
alternative investment fund manager of the Company for the
purposes of Directive 2011/61/EU of the European Parliament and of
the Council on Alternative Investment Fund Managers. Accordingly,
OAIFM was responsible for the portfolio management of the Company
and for exercising the risk management function in respect of the
Company. OAIFM delegated portfolio management services to Octopus
Renewables Limited (trading as Octopus Energy Generation), the
Company's Investment Manager (the "Investment Manager").
On 31 July 2024, the Company
appointed Octopus Energy AIF Management Limited ("OEAIFM") to be
the alternative investment fund manager of the Company for the
purposes of Directive 2011/61/EU of the European Parliament and of
the Council on Alternative Investment Fund Managers. Accordingly
from the 31 July 2024, OEAIFM is responsible for the portfolio
management of the Company, for exercising the risk management
function in respect of the Company and the administration of the
Company. OEAIFM has delegated portfolio management services to the
Investment Manager and administration services to Apex Listed
Companies Services (UK) Limited (the "Administrator").
Apex Listed Companies Services (UK)
Limited provides administrative and company secretarial services to
the Company under the terms of the Administration Agreement between
the Company and the Administrator.
The annual financial statements of
the Company for the year ended 31 December 2023 were approved by
the Directors on 22 March 2024 and are available on the Company's
website https://octopusrenewablesinfrastructure.com/.
2.
Basis of preparation
The interim financial statements
included in this report have been prepared in accordance with
UK-adopted international accounting standard IAS 34 Interim
Financial Reporting and the applicable requirements of the
Companies Act 2006. The interim financial statements have been
prepared under the historical cost convention, as modified by the
revaluation of financial assets and financial liabilities at fair
value through profit or loss.
The interim financial statements
have also been prepared as far as is relevant and applicable to the
Company in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice:
Financial Statements of Investment Trust Companies and Venture
Capital Trusts ("SORP") issued in July 2022 by the Association of
Investment Companies ("AIC").
The interim financial statements
are presented in sterling, which is the Company's functional
currency and are rounded to the nearest thousand, unless otherwise
stated. The accounting policies, significant judgements, key
assumptions and estimates are consistent with those used in the
latest audited financial statements to 31 December 2023 and should
be read in conjunction with the Company's annual audited financial
statements for the year ended 31 December 2023.
Going concern
The Company continues to adopt the
going concern basis in the preparation of the interim financial
statements for the reasons set out in the Interim Management
Report.
Critical accounting judgements, estimates and
assumptions
The preparation of the interim
financial statement requires management to make judgements,
estimates and assumptions that affect the application of accounting
policies and the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, income
and expenses. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
Estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed regularly on an
on-going basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in
the period in which the estimates are revised and in any future
periods affected. There have been no changes to the significant
estimates, judgements and assumptions to those set out on pages 162
to 164 of the 2023 Annual Report; a summary of these is provided
below.
Key estimation: Fair value estimation for investments at fair
value
The Company's investments at fair
value are not traded in active markets. Fair value is calculated by
discounting at an appropriate discount rate future cash flows
expected to be received by the Company's intermediate holdings. The
discounted cashflow models use observable data, to the extent
practicable. However, the key inputs require management to make
estimates. Changes in assumptions about these factors could affect
the reported fair value of investments.
The discount rates used in the
valuation exercise represent the Investment Manager's and the
Board's assessment of the rate of return in the market for assets
with similar characteristics and risk profile. The discount rates
are reviewed quarterly and updated, where appropriate, to reflect
changes in the market and in the project risk characteristics.
Details of the areas of estimation in the calculation of fair value
are disclosed in Note 8.
Key judgement: Equity and debt investment in ORIT Holdings II
Limited
The evaluation of the performance
of the Company's investments is done for the entire portfolio on a
fair value basis, as is the reporting to the key management
personnel and to the investors. In this case, all equity,
derivatives and debt investments form part of the same portfolio
for which the performance is evaluated on a fair value basis
together and reported to the key management personnel in its
entirety.
As such, the Directors have
satisfied themselves that the equity and debt investments into its
direct wholly owned subsidiary, ORIT Holdings II Limited, share the
same investment characteristics and, therefore, constitute a single
asset class for IFRS 7 disclosure purposes.
Key judgement: Basis of non-consolidation
The Company has adopted the
amendments to IFRS 10 which states that investment entities should
measure all of their subsidiaries that are themselves investment
entities at fair value (in accordance with IFRS 9 Financial
Instruments: Recognition and Measurement, and IFRS 13 Fair Value
Measurement). Being investment entities, ORIT and its wholly owned
direct subsidiary, ORIT Holdings II Limited are measured at fair
value as opposed to being consolidated on a line-by-line basis,
meaning their cash, debt and working capital balances are included
in the fair value of investments rather than the Group's current
assets.
The Directors believe the treatment
outlined above provides the most relevant information to
investors.
3.
Investment income
|
For the six-month period
ended
30 June 2024
(unaudited)
|
For the six-month period
ended
30 June 2023
(unaudited)
|
|
Revenue
|
Capital
|
Total
|
Revenue
|
Capital
|
Total
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Dividend income from
investments
|
6,000
|
-
|
6,000
|
9,800
|
-
|
9,800
|
Interest income from
investments
|
12,724
|
-
|
12,724
|
12,861
|
-
|
12,861
|
Total investment income
|
18,724
|
-
|
18,724
|
22,661
|
-
|
22,661
|
4.
Operating expenses
|
For the six-month period
ended
30 June 2024
(unaudited)
|
For the six-month period
ended
30 June 2023
(unaudited)
|
|
Revenue
|
Capital
|
Total
|
Revenue
|
Capital
|
Total
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Management fees
|
2,062
|
687
|
2,749
|
2,109
|
703
|
2,812
|
Directors' fees
|
123
|
-
|
123
|
101
|
-
|
101
|
Company's auditor fees:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- in respect of audit
services
|
145
|
-
|
145
|
90
|
-
|
90
|
Other operating expenses
|
460
|
-
|
460
|
421
|
104
|
525
|
Total operating expenses
|
2,790
|
687
|
3,477
|
2,721
|
807
|
3,528
|
Further details on the AIFM
agreement have been provided in Note 13.
The Company has no employees. Full
detail on Directors' fees is provided in Note 13. The Directors' fees exclude
employer's national insurance contribution which is included as
appropriate in other operating expenses. There were no other
emoluments.
5.
Taxation
(a) Analysis of charge/(credit) in the
period
|
For the six-month period
ended
30 June 2024
(unaudited)
|
For the six-month period
ended
30 June 2023
(unaudited)
|
|
Revenue
|
Capital
|
Total
|
Revenue
|
Capital
|
Total
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Corporation tax
|
171
|
(171)
|
-
|
184
|
(184)
|
-
|
Tax charge/(credit) for the period
|
171
|
(171)
|
-
|
184
|
(184)
|
-
|
(b) Factors affecting total tax charge for the
period:
The effective UK corporation tax
rate applicable to the Company for the period is 25% (2023: 22%).
The tax charge/(credit) differs from the charge/(credit) resulting
from applying the standard rate of UK corporation tax for an
investment trust company. The differences are explained
below:
|
For the six-month period
ended
30 June 2024 (unaudited)
|
For the six-month period
ended
30 June 2023 (unaudited)
|
|
Revenue
£'000
|
Capital
£'000
|
Total
£'000
|
Revenue
£'000
|
Capital
£'000
|
Total
£'000
|
Profit/(loss) before
taxation
|
16,093
|
(4,793)
|
11,300
|
19,982
|
(14,457)
|
5,525
|
Corporation tax at 25% (2023:
22%)
|
4,023
|
(1,198)
|
2,825
|
4,396
|
(3,181)
|
1,215
|
Effects of:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Expenses not deductible for tax
purposes
|
-
|
1,027
|
1,027
|
-
|
2,997
|
2,997
|
Income not taxable
|
(1,500)
|
-
|
(1,500)
|
(2,156)
|
-
|
(2,156)
|
Dividends designated as interest
distributions
|
(2,351)
|
-
|
(2,351)
|
(2,058)
|
-
|
(2,058)
|
Movement in deferred tax not
recognised
|
(1)
|
-
|
(1)
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
Total tax charge/(credit) for the period
|
171
|
(171)
|
-
|
184
|
(184)
|
-
|
6.
Dividends
|
For the six-month period
ended
30 June 2024 (unaudited)
|
For the six-month period
ended
30 June 2023 (unaudited)
|
|
Pence per Ordinary
Share
|
Revenue reserve
£'000
|
Total
£'000
|
Pence per Ordinary
Share
|
Revenue reserve
£'000
|
Total
£'000
|
Q4 2023 Dividend - paid 23 February
2024 (2022: 23 February 2023)
|
1.45
|
8,191
|
8,191
|
1.31
|
7,401
|
7,401
|
Q1 2024 Dividend - paid 31 May 2024
(2023: 2 June 2023)
|
1.50
|
8,475
|
8,474
|
1.44
|
8,135
|
8,135
|
Total
|
2.95
|
16,666
|
16,665
|
2.75
|
15,536
|
15,536
|
On 5 August 2024, the Company
declared an interim dividend in respect of the period from 1 April
2024 to 30 June 2024 of 1.51 pence per Ordinary Share, paid on 30
August 2024 to Shareholders on the register at 16 August 2024. On
that record date, the number of Ordinary Shares in issue was
562,405,740 and the total dividend paid to Shareholders amounted to
£8.5 million. The dividend has not been included as a liability at
30 June 2024.
7.
Earnings per Ordinary Share
Earnings per Ordinary Share is
calculated by dividing the profit attributable to equity
shareholders of the Company by the weighted average number of
Ordinary Shares in issue during the period as follows.
|
For the six-month period
ended
30 June 2024 (unaudited)
|
For the six-month period
ended
30 June 2023 (unaudited)
|
|
Revenue
|
Capital
|
Total
|
Revenue
|
Capital
|
Total
|
Profit/(loss) attributable to the
equity holders of the Company (£'000)
|
15,922
|
(4,622)
|
11,300
|
19,798
|
(14,273)
|
5,525
|
Weighted average number of Ordinary
Shares in issue (000)
|
564,806
|
564,806
|
564,806
|
564,928
|
564,928
|
564,928
|
Earnings/(loss) per Ordinary Share (pence) - basic and
diluted
|
2.82p
|
(0.82p)
|
2.00p
|
3.50p
|
(2.53p)
|
0.97p
|
There is no difference between the
weighted average Ordinary or diluted number of Shares.
8.
Investments at fair value through profit or loss
As set out in Note 2, the Company accounts for its
interest in its wholly owned direct subsidiaries as an investment
at fair value through profit or loss.
a)
Summary of valuation
|
As at
30 June
2024
(unaudited)
£'000
|
As at
31 December
2023
(audited)
£'000
|
Opening balance
|
592,121
|
608,799
|
Portfolio of assets
acquired
|
-
|
-
|
Additional investment in
intermediate holding companies
|
553
|
5,583
|
Distributions received from
investments
|
(24,627)
|
(41,979)
|
Investment income
|
18,724
|
42,694
|
Movement in fair value of
investments
|
(4,106)
|
(22,976)
|
Total investments at the end of the
period/year
|
582,665
|
592,121
|
b)
Reconciliation of movement in fair value of portfolio of
assets
The table below shows the movement
in the fair value of the Company's investments. These assets are
held through intermediate holding companies.
|
As at
30 June
2024
(unaudited)
£'000
|
As at
31 December
2023
(audited)
£'000
|
Opening balance
|
705,970
|
608,799
|
Portfolio of assets
acquired
|
87,566
|
65,224
|
Asset Disposal
|
-
|
(91,817)
|
Distributions received
|
(41,596)
|
(37,489)
|
Movement in fair value
|
14,784
|
161,253
|
Fair value of portfolio of assets at the end of the
period/year
|
766,724
|
705,970
|
Cash held in intermediate holding
companies
|
7,262
|
13,209
|
Bank loans held in intermediate
holding companies
|
(196,243)
|
(130,043)
|
Fair value of other net assets in
intermediate holding companies
|
4,922
|
2,985
|
Fair value of Company's investments at the end of the
period/year
|
582,665
|
592,121
|
c)
Investment gains/(losses) in the period/year
|
Period ended 30 June
2024
(unaudited)
£'000
|
Year ended 31 December
2023
(audited)
£'000
|
Movement in fair value of
investments
|
(4,106)
|
(22,976)
|
Fair value of portfolio of assets
The Investment Manager has carried
out fair market valuations of the investments as at 30 June
2024.
The Directors have satisfied
themselves as to the methodology used, the discount rates applied
and the valuation. All investments are in renewable energy assets
and are valued using a discounted cash flow methodology. The
Company's holding of an investment represents its interest in both
the equity and debt instruments of the investment. The equity and
debt instruments are valued as a whole using a blended discount
rate and the value attributed to the equity instruments represents
the fair value of future dividends and equity redemptions in
addition to any value enhancements arising from the timing of loan
principal and interest receipts from the debt instruments, while
the value attributed to the debt instruments represents the
principal outstanding and interest due on the loan at the valuation
date.
The weighted average costs of
capital applied to the portfolio of assets ranges from 6.3% to
8.0%.
The following economic assumptions were used in the discounted
cash flow valuations:
|
As
at
|
As
at
|
|
30
June 2024
|
31
December 2023
|
UK - long-term inflation rate
(year-on-year)
|
3.20% during 2024, declining to
3.00% in 2029 and then to 2.25% from 2030 onwards
|
3.70% during 2024, declining to
3.00% in 2028 and then to 2.25% from 2030 onwards
|
UK - long-term inflation rate
(annual average)
|
3.60% during 2024, declining to
3.00% in 2029 and then to 2.25% from 2030 onwards
|
4.40% during 2024, declining to
3.00% in 2028 and then to 2.25% from 2030 onwards
|
UK - corporation tax
rate
|
25.00%
|
25.00%
|
Sweden - long-term inflation
rate
|
2.00%
|
2.00%
|
Sweden - corporation tax
rate
|
20.60%
|
20.60%
|
France - long-term inflation
rate
|
2.00%
|
2.00%
|
France - corporation tax
rate
|
25.00%
|
25.00%
|
Finland - long-term inflation
rate
|
2.00%
|
2.00%
|
Finland - corporation tax
rate
|
20.00%
|
20.00%
|
Germany - long-term inflation
rate
|
2.00%
|
2.00%
|
Germany - corporation tax
rate
|
15.83%
|
15.83%
|
Euro/sterling exchange
rate
|
1.1796
|
1.1539
|
Energy yield assumptions
|
P50 case
|
P50 case
|
Other key assumptions include:
Power Price Forecasts
Unless fixed under PPAs or
otherwise hedged, the power price forecasts used in the valuations
are based on market forward prices in the near-term, followed by an
equal blend of up to three independent and widely-used market
expert consultants' relevant technology-specific capture price
forecasts for each asset.
Asset Lives
The length of the period of
operations assumed in the valuation is determined on an
asset-by-asset basis taking into account the lease agreements,
permits or planning permissions in place as well as any extension
rights, renewal regimes or wider policy considerations, together
with the technical characteristics of the asset.
Decommissioning Costs
Where applicable, the present value
of the estimated costs to restore the land back to its original use
are included in the valuations as a cash outflow at the end of the
asset life.
Fair value of intermediate holding companies
The other net assets in the
intermediate holding companies substantially comprise working
capital balances, therefore the Directors consider the fair value
to be equal to the book values. The sensitivity to unobservable
inputs is based on management's expectation of reasonable possible
shifts in these inputs. The valuation sensitivity of each
assumption is shown in Note
12.
9.
Share capital
|
As at 30 June 2024
(unaudited)
|
As
at 31 December 2023 (audited)
|
Allotted, issued and fully paid:
|
Number of
shares
|
Nominal value of shares
with voting rights (£)
|
Number of treasury
shares
|
Nominal value of shares in
treasury (£)
|
Number of
shares
|
Nominal value of shares
with voting rights (£)
|
Number of treasury
shares
|
Nominal value of shares in
treasury (£)
|
Opening balance
|
564,927,536
|
5,649,275
|
-
|
-
|
564,927,536
|
5,649,275
|
-
|
-
|
Shares bought back and held
in treasury
|
(1,200,962)
|
(12,010)
|
1,200,962
|
12,010
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Closing balance
|
563,726,574
|
5,637,265
|
1,200,962
|
12,010
|
564,927,536
|
5,649,275
|
-
|
-
|
During the six months ended 30 June
2024, the Company issued no ordinary shares (31 December 2023:
nil).
During the six months ended 30 June
2024, the Company bought back to hold in treasury 1,200,962 shares
(31 December 2023: nil) at a total cost of £887,000 (31
December 2023: nil).
Since 30 June 2024 and up to 11
September 2024, a further 1,811,444 ordinary shares have been
bought back to hold in treasury at a total cost of
£1,356,551.
10. Special reserve
As indicated in the Company's
prospectus dated 19 November 2019, following admission of the
Company's Ordinary Shares to trading on the London Stock Exchange,
the Directors applied to the Court and obtained a judgement on
18 February 2020 to cancel the amount standing to the credit
of the share premium account of the Company.
As stated by the Institute of
Chartered Accountants in England and Wales ("ICAEW") and the
Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland ("ICAS") in the
technical release TECH 02/17BL, The Companies (Reduction of Share
Capital) Order 2008 SI 2008/1915 ("the Order") specifies the cases
in which a reserve arising from a reduction in a company's capital
(i.e., share capital, share premium account, capital redemption
reserve or redenomination reserve) is to be treated as a realised
profit as a matter of law. The Order also disapplies the general
prohibition in section 654 on the distribution of a reserve arising
from a reduction of capital. The Order provides that if a limited
company having a share capital reduces its capital and the
reduction is confirmed by order of court, the reserve arising from
the reduction is treated as a realised profit unless the court
orders otherwise.
The amount of the share premium
account cancelled and credited to the Company's special
distributable reserve is £338,613,000, which can be utilised to
fund distributions to the Company's Shareholders, which can be
utilised to fund distributions by way of dividends to the Company's
shareholders.
11. Net assets per Ordinary Share (pence)
|
As at
30 June
2024
(unaudited)
|
As at
31 December
2023
(audited)
|
Total shareholders' equity
(£'000)
|
592,786
|
599,039
|
Number of Ordinary Shares in issue
('000)
|
563,727
|
564,928
|
Net asset value per Ordinary Share (pence)
|
105.15p
|
106.04p
|
12. Financial instruments by category
The Company held the following
financial instruments at fair value at 30 June 2024. There have
been no transfers of financial instruments between levels of the
fair value hierarchy. There are no non-recurring fair value
measurements.
|
As at 30 June 2024
(unaudited)
|
|
Financial
assets at
amortised
cost
£'000
|
Financial
assets at
fair value
through
profit or
loss
£'000
|
Financial
liabilities
at
amortised
cost
£'000
|
Total
£'000
|
Non-current assets
|
|
|
|
|
Equity Investments at fair value
through profit or loss
|
-
|
582,665
|
-
|
582,665
|
Current assets
|
|
|
|
|
Trade and other
receivables
|
138
|
-
|
-
|
138
|
Cash and cash
equivalents
|
11,822
|
-
|
-
|
11,822
|
Total assets
|
11,960
|
582,665
|
-
|
594,625
|
Current liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
Trade and other payables
|
-
|
-
|
(1,839)
|
(1,839)
|
Total liabilities
|
-
|
-
|
(1,839)
|
(1,839)
|
Net assets
|
11,960
|
582,665
|
(1,839)
|
592,786
|
|
As at 31 December 2023
(audited)
|
|
Financial
assets at
amortised
cost
£'000
|
Financial
assets at
fair value
through
profit or
loss
£'000
|
Financial
liabilities
at
amortised
cost
£'000
|
Total
£'000
|
Non-current assets
|
|
|
|
|
Investments at fair value through
profit or loss
|
-
|
592,121
|
-
|
592,121
|
Current assets
|
|
|
|
|
Trade and other
receivables
|
143
|
-
|
-
|
143
|
Cash and cash
equivalents
|
10,012
|
-
|
-
|
10,012
|
Total assets
|
10,155
|
592,121
|
-
|
602,276
|
Current liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
Trade and other payables
|
-
|
-
|
(3,237)
|
(3,237)
|
Total liabilities
|
-
|
-
|
(3,237)
|
(3,237)
|
Net assets
|
10,155
|
592,121
|
(3,237)
|
599,039
|
The above table provides an
analysis of financial instruments that are measured subsequent to
their initial recognition at fair value as follows:
Level 1: fair value
measurements are those derived from quoted prices (unadjusted) in
active markets for identical assets or liabilities;
|
Level 2: fair value
measurements are those derived from inputs other than quoted prices
included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or
liability, either directly (i.e., as prices) or indirectly (i.e.,
derived from prices); and
|
Level 3: fair value
measurements are those derived from valuation techniques that
include inputs to the asset or liability that are not based on
observable market data (unobservable inputs).
|
There were no Level 1 assets or
liabilities during the period. There were no transfers between
Level 1 and 2, Level 1 and 3 or Level 2 and 3 during the period. In
the table above, financial instruments are held at carrying value
as an approximation to fair value unless stated
otherwise.
Reconciliation of Level 3 fair value measurement of financial
assets and liabilities
An analysis of the movement between
opening to closing balances of the investments at fair value
through profit or loss is given in Note 8.
The fair value of the investments
at fair value through profit or loss includes the use of Level 3
inputs. Refer to Note 8 for
details on the valuation methodology.
Valuation Sensitivities
Discount rate
The discount rate is considered the
most significant unobservable input through which an increase or
decrease would have a material impact on the fair value of the
investments at fair value through profit or loss.
An increase of 0.5% in the discount
rate (levered cost of equity) would cause a decrease in total
portfolio value of 6.5 pence per Ordinary Share and a decrease
of 0.5% in the discount rate would cause an increase in total
portfolio value of 5.9 pence per Ordinary Share.
Inflation rate
The sensitivity of the investments
to movement in inflation rates is as follows:
A decrease of 0.5% in inflation
rates would cause a decrease in total portfolio value of 4.1 pence
per Ordinary Share and an increase of 0.5% in inflation rates would
cause an increase in total portfolio value of 4.4 pence per
Ordinary Share.
Power price
Wind and solar assets are subject
to movements in power prices. The sensitivities of the investments
to movement in power prices are as follows:
A decrease of 10% in power price
would cause a decrease in the total portfolio value of 9.6 pence
per Ordinary Share and an increase of 10% in power price would
cause an increase in the total portfolio value of 9.5 pence per
Ordinary Share.
Generation
Wind and solar assets are subject
to power generation risks. The sensitivities of the investments to
movement in level of power output are as follows:
The fair value of the investments
is based on a "P50" level of power output being the expected level
of generation over the long-term. An assumed "P90" level of power
output (i.e. a level of generation that is below the "P50", with a
90% probability of being exceeded) would cause a decrease in the
total portfolio value of 19.5 pence per Ordinary Share and an
assumed "P10" level of power output (i.e. a level of generation
that is above the "P50", with a 10% probability of being achieved)
would cause an increase in the total portfolio value of 19.0 pence
per Ordinary Share.
Foreign exchange
The sensitivity of the investments
to movement in FX rates is as follows:
A decrease of 10% in FX rates would
cause a decrease in total portfolio value of 1.5 pence per Ordinary
Share and an increase of 10% in inflation rates would cause an
increase in total portfolio value of 1.5 pence per Ordinary
Share.
Of the portfolio as at 30 June
2023, 51% of the NAV is denominated in non-sterling
currencies.
13. Related party and key advisor
transactions
During the period, interest
totalling £12.7 million (30 June 2023: £12.9 million) was earned,
in respect of the long-term interest-bearing loan between the
Company and its subsidiaries. At the period end, the full amount
was outstanding.
AIFM and Investment Manager
Until 31 July 2024, the Company had
appointed Octopus AIF Management Limited ("OAIFM") to be the
alternative investment fund manager of the Company for the purposes
of Directive 2011/61/EU of the European Parliament and of the
Council on Alternative Investment Fund Managers. Accordingly, OAIFM
was responsible for the portfolio management of the Company and for
exercising the risk management function in respect of the Company.
OAIFM delegated portfolio management services to Octopus Renewables
Limited (trading as Octopus Energy Generation), the Company's
Investment Manager (the "Investment Manager").
On 31 July 2024, the Company
appointed Octopus Energy AIF Management Limited ("OEAIFM") to be
the alternative investment fund manager of the Company for the
purposes of Directive 2011/61/EU of the European Parliament and of
the Council on Alternative Investment Fund Managers. Accordingly
from the 31 July 2024, OEAIFM is responsible for the portfolio
management of the Company, for exercising the risk management
function in respect of the Company and the administration of the
Company. OEAIFM has delegated portfolio management services to the
Investment Manager and administration services to Apex Listed
Companies Services (UK) Limited (the "Administrator").
OEAIFM is entitled to a management
fee of 0.95% per annum of Net Asset Value of the Company up to and
including £500 million and 0.85% per annum of Net Asset Value in
excess of £500 million, payable quarterly in arrears. There are no
performance fee or asset level fees are payable to OEAIFM under the
Management Agreement. OEAIFM in turn pays the Investment Manager
from the management fees.
During the period, the management
fee charged to the Company by Octopus AIF Management Limited was
£2,062,000 (30 June 2023: £2,109,000), of which £1,381,000 (30 June
2023: £1,404,000) remained payable at the period end
date.
Directors
The Company is governed by a Board
of Directors (the "Board"), all of whom are independent and
non-executive. During the period, they received fees for their
services of £123,000 (30 June 2023: £96,333) and were paid £3,439
(30 June 2023: £6,147) in expenses. As at the period end, there
were no outstanding fees payable to the Board.
The Directors had the following
shareholdings in the Company, all of which were beneficially
owned.
|
Ordinary
Shares as
at
date of this
report
|
Ordinary
Shares as
at
30 June
2024
|
Philip Austin MBE*
|
165,518
|
165,518
|
James Cameron
|
65,306
|
65,306
|
Elaina Elzinga
|
-
|
-
|
Audrey McNair**
|
50,437
|
50,437
|
Sarim Sheikh
|
279
|
279
|
* with effect from 23
November 2021, Mr. Austin's shares have been held jointly with Mrs.
J Austin, a PCA of Mr. Austin
** Ms
McNair's husband holds 20,991 shares of the total holding displayed
in this table
14. Subsidiaries
As a result of applying Investment
Entities (Amendments to IFRS 10, IFRS 12 and IAS 27), no
subsidiaries have been consolidated in these financial statements.
The Company's subsidiaries are listed below:
|
|
Place of
|
Registered
|
Ownership
|
Name
|
Category
|
business
|
Office*
|
interest
|
ORIT Holdings II Limited
|
Direct Intermediate
Holdings
|
UK
|
A
|
100%
|
ORIT Holdings Limited
|
Intermediate Holdings
|
UK
|
A
|
100%
|
ORIT UK Acquisitions
Limited
|
Intermediate Holdings
|
UK
|
A
|
100%
|
Abbots Ripton Solar Energy
Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
A
|
100%
|
Chisbon Solar Farm
Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
A
|
100%
|
Jura Solar Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
A
|
100%
|
Mingay Farm Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
A
|
100%
|
NGE Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
A
|
100%
|
Sun Green Energy Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
A
|
100%
|
Westerfield Solar
Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
A
|
100%
|
Wincelle Solar Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
A
|
100%
|
Heather Wind AB
|
Project company
|
Sweden
|
B
|
100%
|
Solstice 1A GmbH
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
Germany
|
C
|
100%
|
SolaireCharleval SAS
|
Project company
|
France
|
D
|
100%
|
SolaireIstres SAS
|
Project company
|
France
|
D
|
100%
|
SolaireCuges-Les-Pins
SAS
|
Project company
|
France
|
D
|
100%
|
SolaireChalmoux SAS
|
Project company
|
France
|
D
|
100%
|
SolaireLaVerdiere SAS
|
Project company
|
France
|
D
|
100%
|
SolaireBrignoles SAS
|
Project company
|
France
|
D
|
100%
|
SolaireSaint-Antonin-du-Var
SAS
|
Project company
|
France
|
D
|
100%
|
Centrale Photovoltaique de IOVI 1
SAS
|
Project company
|
France
|
D
|
100%
|
Centrale Photovoltaique de IOVI 3
SAS
|
Project company
|
France
|
D
|
100%
|
Arsac 2 SAS
|
Project company
|
France
|
D
|
100%
|
Arsac 5 SAS
|
Project company
|
France
|
D
|
100%
|
SolaireFontienne SAS
|
Project company
|
France
|
D
|
100%
|
SolaireOllieres SAS
|
Project company
|
France
|
D
|
100%
|
Elysia SAS
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
France
|
D
|
100%
|
CEPE Cerisou
|
Project company
|
France
|
E
|
100%
|
Cumberhead Wind Energy
Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
A
|
100%
|
ORIT Irish Holdings 2
Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
UK
|
A
|
100%
|
ORIT Irish Holdings
Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
UK
|
A
|
100%
|
Nordic Power Development
Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
UK
|
A
|
100%
|
Saunamaa Wind Farm Oy
|
Project company
|
Finland
|
F
|
100%
|
Vöyrinkangas Wind Farm
Oy
|
Project company
|
Finland
|
F
|
100%
|
ORI JV Holdings Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
UK
|
A
|
50%
|
ORI JV Holdings 2
Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
UK
|
A
|
50%
|
Simply Blue Energy Holdings
Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
Ireland
|
G
|
19%
|
South Kilbraur Wind Farm
Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
H
|
25%
|
Windburn Wind Farm
Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
H
|
25%
|
Wind 2 Project 2 Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
I
|
25%
|
Wind 2 Project 5 Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
H
|
25%
|
Wind 2 Project 3 Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
I
|
25%
|
Kirkton Wind Farm
Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
H
|
25%
|
Bwlch Gwyn Wind Farm
Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
I
|
25%
|
Wind 2 Project 6 Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
H
|
25%
|
Lairdmannoch Energy Park
Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
H
|
25%
|
ORI JV Holdings 3
Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
UK
|
A
|
50%
|
Nordic Renewables
Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
UK
|
A
|
50%
|
Nordic Renewables Holdings 1
Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
UK
|
A
|
50%
|
ORI JV Holdings 4
Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
UK
|
A
|
50%
|
ORI JV Holdings 5
Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
UK
|
A
|
51%
|
ORI JV Holdings 5 Holdco
Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
UK
|
A
|
51%
|
ORI JV Holdings 6
Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
UK
|
A
|
50%
|
ORIT Lincs Holdco
Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
UK
|
A
|
100%
|
ORI Lincs Holdings
Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
UK
|
A
|
50%
|
Clyde SPV Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
UK
|
J
|
50%
|
Blota Germany GmbH
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
Germany
|
K
|
100%
|
Blota GP GmbH
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
Germany
|
L
|
100%
|
UKA Windenergie Leeskow
GmbH
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
Germany
|
M
|
100%
|
UGE Leeskow Eins GmbH & Co. KG
Umweltgerechte Energie
|
Project company
|
Germany
|
N
|
100%
|
Infrastrukturgesellschaft Leeskow
mbH & Co. KG
|
Project company
|
Germany
|
M
|
70%
|
Burwell 11 Solar Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
A
|
100%
|
Crossdykes WF Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
O
|
51%
|
UK Green Investment Lyle
Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
UK
|
J
|
50%
|
Lincs Wind Farm (Holding)
Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
UK
|
P
|
15.50%
|
Lincs Wind Farm Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
Q
|
15.50%
|
Gridsource (Woburn Rd)
Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
A
|
50%
|
Trio Power Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
UK
|
A
|
100%
|
Ballymacarney Renewable Energy
Limited
|
Project company
|
Ireland
|
R
|
100%
|
Hyro Energy Limited
|
Portfolio-level Holdings
|
UK
|
S
|
25%
|
Green Hydrogen 11
Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
S
|
25%
|
Green Hydrogen 2 Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
S
|
25%
|
Green Hydrogen 3 Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
S
|
25%
|
Green Hydrogen 4 Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
S
|
25%
|
Green Hydrogen 5 Limited
|
Project company
|
UK
|
S
|
25%
|
Haaponeva SPC Oy
|
Project company
|
Finland
|
T
|
50%
|
BHill SPC Oy
|
Project company
|
Finland
|
T
|
50%
|
Luola S SPC Oy
|
Project company
|
Finland
|
T
|
50%
|
Mikkeli S SPC Oy
|
Project company
|
Finland
|
T
|
50%
|
Eero S SPC Oy
|
Project company
|
Finland
|
T
|
50%
|
S Tuuli SPC Oy
|
Project company
|
Finland
|
T
|
50%
|
KNorgen SPC Oy
|
Project company
|
Finland
|
T
|
50%
|
* Registered
offices:
A - Uk House, 5th Floor, 164-182
Oxford Street, London, United Kingdom, W1D 1NN
B - Lilla Nygatan 1, 111 28
Stockholm, Sweden
C - Maximilianstraße 54, 80538,
München, Germany
D - 22 Rue de Palestro, 75002
PARIS
E - Z.I de Courtine, 115 rue du
Mourelet, 84000. Avignon, France
F - Lapinlahdenkatu 1 C 00180
Helsinki Finland
G - Woodbine Hill, Kinsalebeg,
Youghal, Co. Cork, Ireland
H - Wind 2 Office, 2 Walker Street,
Edinburgh, Scotland, EH3 7LB
I - Linden House Wrexham Road, Mold
Business Park, Mold, Wales, CH7 1XP
J - 8 White Oak Square, London
Road, Swanley, Kent, United Kingdom, BR8 7AG
K - Lorenzgasse 2a, 01662
Meißen
L - c/o Ashurst LLP, OpernTurm,
Bockenheimer Landstraße 2-4, 60306 Frankfurt
M - Dr.-Eberle-Platz 1, 01662
Meißen
N - Dorfstraße 20a, 18276
Lohmen
O - 58 Morrison Street, Edinburgh,
United Kingdom, EH3 8BP
P - 5 Howick Place, London, United
Kingdom, SW1P 1WG
Q - 13 Queens Road, Aberdeen,
Scotland, AB15 4YL
R - 70 Sir John Rogerson's Quay,
Dublin 2, Ireland
S - Beaufort Court, Egg Farm Lane,
Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, WD4 8LR
T - c/o Nordic Generation Oy
Tekniikantie 14 02150 Espoo Finland
As shown in Annual Report, ORIT
Holdings II Limited is the only direct subsidiary of the Company.
All other subsidiaries are held indirectly.
15. Guarantees and other commitments
The Company guarantees the foreign
exchange hedges entered into by its intermediate holding companies
to enable it to minimise its exposure to changes in underlying
foreign exchange rates.
As at 30 June 2024, the Company has
guarantees in respect of the future investment obligations
associated with the Breach Solar plant totalling £2 million (31
December 2023: £4.1 million).
As at 30 June 2024 the Company's
subsidiaries had future investment obligations totalling £42.4
million (31 December 2023: £175.6m) relating to its wind farms post
construction, solar farm in construction and its conditional
acquisitions in Ireland. The intermediate holding companies have
provided guarantees in respect of these commitments.
16. Post period end events
Post period on 27th August 2024,
the intermediate holding company ORIT Holdings Limited completed
the sale of Heather Wind AB in Sweden and received a consideration
of approximately £63 million.
On 5 August 2024, the Company
declared an interim dividend in respect of the period from 1 April
2024 to 30 June 2024 of 1.51 pence per Ordinary Share, paid on 30
August 2024 to Shareholders on the register at 16 August 2024. On
that record date, the number of Ordinary Shares in issue was
562,405,740 and the total dividend paid to Shareholders amounted to
£8.5 million. The dividend has not been included as a liability at
30 June 2024.
On 31 July 2024, the Company
appointed Octopus Energy AIF Management Limited ("OEAIFM") to be
the alternative investment fund manager of the Company for the
purposes of Directive 2011/61/EU of the European Parliament and of
the Council on Alternative Investment Fund Managers.
The share buyback programme that
was announced in June 2024 has continued post period.
17. Status of this report
These interim financial statements
are not the Company's statutory accounts for the purposes of
section 434 of the Companies Act 2006. They are unaudited. The
unaudited interim financial report will be made available to the
public at the registered office of the Company.
The report will also be available
in electronic format on the Company's website, https://octopusrenewablesinfrastructure.com/.
The interim financial report was
approved by the Board of Directors on 13 September
2024.
Other Information
Alternative Performance Measures
In reporting financial information,
the Company presents alternative performance measures, "APMs",
which are not defined or specified under the requirements of IFRS.
The Company believes that these APMs, which are not considered to
be a substitute for or superior to IFRS measures, provide
stakeholders with additional helpful information on the performance
of the Company. The Directors assess the Company's performance
against a range of criteria which are viewed as particularly
relevant for closed-end investment companies. The APMs presented in
this report are shown below:
Performance of Company's underlying operations
investments
|
Output
|
Revenue
|
Opex
|
EBITDA
|
Operational portfolio
|
30 June 2024:
605GWh
|
30 June
2024:
|
30 June
2024:
|
30 June
2024:
|
|
(30 June
2023:
|
£68.7
million
|
£23.4
million
|
£45.3
million
|
|
628GWh)55
|
(30 June
2023:
|
(30 June
2023:
|
(30 June
2023:
|
|
|
£61.7
million)
|
£21.2
million)
|
£40.7
million)
|
Solar
|
30 June 2024:
209GWh
|
30 June
2024:
|
30 June
2024:
|
30 June
2024:
|
|
(30 June
2023: 146GWh)
|
£25.0
million
|
£6.5
million
|
£18.5
million
|
|
|
(30 June
2023:
|
(30 June
2023:
|
(30 June
2023:
|
|
|
£18.1
million)
|
£4.3
million)
|
£13.8
million)
|
Onshore wind
|
30 June 2024:
312GWh
|
30 June
2024:
|
30 June
2024:
|
30 June
2024:
|
|
(30 June
2023: 409GWh)
|
£22.7
million
|
£5.3
million
|
£17.4
million
|
|
|
(30 June
2023:
|
(30 June
2023:
|
(30 June
2023:
|
|
|
£24.2
million)
|
£5.4
million)
|
£18.8
million)
|
Offshore wind
|
30 June 2024:
84GWh
|
30 June
2024:
|
30 June
2024:
|
30 June
2024:
|
|
(30 June
2023: 73GWh)1
|
£21.0
million
|
£11.6
million
|
£9.4
million
|
|
|
(30 June
2023:
|
(30 June
2023:
|
(30 June
2023:
|
|
|
£19.1
million)
|
£11.0
million)
|
£8.1
million)
|
Gross asset value (GAV)
The Company's gross assets comprise
the net asset values of the Company's Ordinary Shares and the debt
held in unconsolidated subsidiaries.
|
|
As at
|
As at
|
|
|
30 June
2024
|
31 December
2023
|
|
|
£million
|
£million
|
NAV
|
a
|
592.8
|
599.0
|
Debt
|
b
|
504.7
|
381.3
|
Total GAV
|
a + b
|
1,097.5
|
980.3
|
55 Restated from 2023
Interim Report.
Total value of all investments
A measure of committed asset value
including total debt and equity commitments
|
|
As at
|
As at
|
|
|
30 June
2024
|
31 December
2023
|
|
|
£million
|
£million
|
GAV
|
a
|
1,097.5
|
980.3
|
Commitments on existing
portfolio
|
b
|
15.5
|
19.1
|
Commitments on conditional
acquisitions
|
c
|
36.9
|
173.4
|
GAV excluding cash
|
(a+b+c) = d
|
1,149.9
|
1,172.8
|
Less Company and holding company
assets
|
e
|
(22.3)
|
(23.1)
|
Less asset level cash
|
f
|
(10.1)
|
(22.6)
|
Total value of all investments
|
d + e + f
|
1,117.5
|
1,127.1
|
Total return since IPO
A measure of performance since IPO
that includes both income and capital returns. This takes into
account capital gains and reinvestment of dividends (where
beneficial) paid out by the Company into the Ordinary Shares of the
Company on the ex‑dividend date.
30
June 2024
|
|
Share price
|
NAV
|
Value at IPO (10 December 2019) -
pence
|
a
|
100.00
|
98.00
|
Value at 30 June 2024 -
pence
|
b
|
72.00
|
105.15
|
Benefits of reinvesting dividends -
pence
|
d
|
(4.02)
|
2.74
|
Dividends paid in the year -
pence
|
c
|
20.70
|
20.70
|
Total return
|
[(b+c+d)÷a)]-1
|
11.3%
|
31.2%
|
Annualised total return
|
|
(2.6%)
|
6.2%
|
31
December 2023
|
|
Share price
|
NAV
|
Value at IPO (10 December 2019) -
pence
|
a
|
100.00
|
98.00
|
Value at 31 December 2023 -
pence
|
b
|
90.00
|
106.04
|
Benefits of reinvesting dividends -
pence
|
d
|
(1.09)
|
2.26
|
Dividends paid in the period -
pence
|
c
|
17.76
|
17.76
|
Total return
|
[(b+c+d)÷a)]-1
|
6.7%
|
28.6%
|
Annualised total return
|
|
1.6%
|
6.4%
|
Total return for the year
A measure of performance for the
year to date that includes both income and capital returns. This
takes into account capital gains and reinvestment of dividends
(where beneficial) paid out by the Company into the Ordinary Shares
of the Company on the ex-dividend date.
30
June 2024
|
|
Share price
|
NAV
|
Value at 31 December 2023 -
pence
|
a
|
90.00
|
106.04
|
Dividends paid to 31 December 2023
- pence
|
b
|
17.76
|
17.76
|
Value plus dividends paid to 31 December 2023 -
pence
|
a + b = c
|
107.76
|
123.80
|
Value at 30 June 2024 -
pence
|
d
|
72.00
|
105.15
|
Benefits of reinvesting dividends -
pence
|
e
|
(3.16)
|
0.47
|
Dividends paid in the year -
pence
|
f
|
2.95
|
2.95
|
Total return
|
[(b+d+e+f)÷c)]-1
|
-16.9%
|
2.0%
|
31
December 2023
|
|
Share price
|
NAV
|
Value at 31 December 2022 -
pence
|
a
|
100.00
|
109.44
|
Dividends paid to 31 December 2022
- pence
|
b
|
12.11
|
12.11
|
Value plus dividends paid to 31 December 2022 -
pence
|
a + b = c
|
112.11
|
121.55
|
Value at 31 December 2023 -
pence
|
d
|
90.00
|
106.04
|
Benefits of reinvesting dividends -
pence
|
e
|
(0.57)
|
0.35
|
Dividends paid in the year -
pence
|
f
|
5.65
|
5.65
|
Total return
|
[(b+d+e+f)÷c)]-1
|
(4.4%)
|
2.1%
|
(Discount)/Premium to NAV
The amount, expressed as a
percentage, by which the share price is more than the NAV per
Ordinary Share.
|
|
As at
|
As at
|
|
|
30 June
2024
|
31 December
2023
|
NAV per Ordinary Share -
pence
|
a
|
105.15
|
106.04
|
Share price - pence
|
b
|
72.00
|
90.00
|
Discount
|
(b÷a)-1
|
-31.5%
|
-15.1%
|
Ongoing charges ratio
A measure, expressed as a
percentage of average net assets, of the regular, recurring annual
costs of running the Company per Ordinary Share. This has been
calculated and disclosed in accordance with the AIC
methodology.
|
|
Period
ended
|
Year ended
|
|
|
30 June
2024
|
31 December
2023
|
Average NAV
|
a
|
591,331
|
605,111
|
Annualised expenses
|
b
|
6,992
|
7,011
|
Discount
|
(b÷a)-1
|
1.18%
|
1.16%
|