Foresight Solar Fund Limited Acquisition of 15 UK solar assets (8515W)

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RNS Number : 8515W

Foresight Solar Fund Limited

06 August 2018

6 August 2018

Foresight Solar Fund Limited

Acquisition of 15 UK solar assets

Further to the announcement on 4 July 2018, Foresight Solar Fund Limited ("Foresight Solar" or "the Company") is pleased to announce it has completed the acquisition of a 100% interest in a portfolio of 15 operational solar assets in the UK with a total installed capacity of 114 MW (the "Acquisition Portfolio") for a consideration of approximately GBP47 million, including the economic benefit of all cashflows from 1 April 2018.

This acquisition, as previously outlined, will be funded by the net proceeds of the oversubscribed fundraise of approximately GBP48.1 million completed in July this year through a placing of new ordinary shares of no par value in the Company. The acquisition is part of the pipeline of value-accretive investment opportunities announced in the Company's 2017 Audited Annual Report and Financial Statements.

The Acquisition Portfolio consists of 15 assets of the 18 assets announced in June - the remaining assets remain under exclusivity and will be subject to further due diligence before the assets can be acquired. All the assets are accredited under the RO scheme, receiving a weighted average of 1.41 ROCs/MWh.

The assets in the Acquisition Portfolio include:

 
      --  Trehawke (Cornwall, 10.6MW), commissioned in March 2014 and received ROC accreditation of 
           1.6ROCs/MWh; 
      --  Homeland (Dorset, 13.2MW), commissioned in March 2014 and received ROC accreditation of 1.6ROCs/MWh; 
      --  Steventon (Oxfordshire, 10.0MW), commissioned in June 2014 and received ROC accreditation 
           of 1.4ROCs/MWh; 
      --  Welbeck (Nottinghamshire, 11.3MW), commissioned in July 2014 and received ROC accreditation 
           of 1.4ROCs/MWh; 
      --  Tengore Lane (Somerset, 3.6MW), commissioned in February 2015 and received ROC accreditation 
           of 1.4ROCs/MWh; 
      --  Cuckoo Grove (Pembrokeshire, 6.1MW), commissioned in March 2015 and received ROC accreditation 
           of 1.4ROCs/MWh; 
      --  Field House (Hampshire, 6.4MW), commissioned in March 2015 and received ROC accreditation 
           of 1.4ROCs/MWh; 
      --  Gedling (Nottinghamshire, 5.7MW), commissioned in March 2015 and received ROC accreditation 
           of 1.4ROCs/MWh; 
      --  Marsh Farm (Wiltshire, 9.1MW), commissioned in March 2015 and received ROC accreditation of 
           1.4ROCs/MWh; 
      --  Abergelli (South Wales, 7.7MW), commissioned in March 2015 and received ROC accreditation 
           of 1.4ROCs/MWh; 
      --  Upper Huntingford (Gloucestershire, 7.7MW), commissioned in October 2015 and received ROC 
           accreditation of 1.3ROCs/MWh; 
      --  Yarburgh (Lincolnshire, 8.1MW), commissioned in November 2015 and received ROC accreditation 
           of 1.3ROCs/MWh; 
      --  Sheepbridge (Reading, 5.0MW), commissioned in December 2015 and received ROC accreditation 
           of 1.3ROCs/MWh; 
      --  Crow Trees (Nottinghamshire, 4.7MW), commissioned in March 2016 and received ROC accreditation 
           of 1.3ROCs/MWh; 
      --  Fields Farm (Warwickshire, 5.0MW), commissioned in March 2016 and received ROC accreditation 
           of 1.3ROCs/MWh; 
 

Following the acquisition, the Acquisition Portfolio brings the Company's total installed capacity to 788MW across 43 solar assets which is expected to drive efficiencies of scale in terms of ongoing operational costs.

The transaction is a lower risk and cost-efficient acquisition for the Company as the portfolio was previously owned by funds managed by Foresight Group LLP. All assets have been in operation for a minimum period of two years and have been managed by Foresight Group's in-house Asset Management team, which will continue to manage the assets.

The Acquisition Portfolio currently has debt facilities in place totaling GBP107.2 million provided by the Royal Bank of Scotland. It is the Company's intention to refinance the portfolio and other UK assets within the next 12 months.

Commenting on the acquisition, Alex Ohlsson, Chairman of the Company, said:

"This is both a strategic and a significant acquisition for the Company, which sees us become the largest UK-listed dedicated solar energy investment company by installed capacity. The acquisition will be NAV-accretive and will further underpin our sustainable, long-term dividend policy. We are pleased to be delivering against our focused acquisition strategy and in accordance with the expected timetable."

For further information, please contact:

Foresight Group [phone]

Joanna Andrews

[e-mail]

 
 Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited [phone] 
  Mark Bloomfield 
  Neil Winward 
  Gaudi Le Roux 
 Citigate Dewe Rogerson [phone] 
  Louise Mason-Rutherford 
 Nick Hayns 
 Eleni Menikou 
 Elizabeth Kittle 
 

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact [e-mail] or visit www.rns.com.

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August 06, 2018 02:00 ET (06:00 GMT)