녹색에너지 자산운용사인 코펜하겐 인프라 파트너스(Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, CIP)와 지속가능한 에너지 회사인 아방그리드(Avangrid)는 10월 25일(현지시각) 빈야드 윈드1 프로젝트(Vineyard Wind 1 Project)가 미국 3개 은행과 상업용 규모 해상 풍력을 위한 최초의 조세 형평성 패키지(First-of-its-kind Tax Equity Package for Commercial-scale Offshore Wind)를 마감했다고 발표했다.

양사는 J.P. 모건 체이스(J.P. Morgan Chase), 뱅크 오브 아메리카(Bank of America) 및 웰스 파고(Wells Fargo)와 12억 달러 규모의 투자 거래를 성사했다. 단일 자산 조세 형평성 금융으로는 가장 큰 규모이자 상업용 규모의 해상 풍력 프로젝트로는 최초다.

팀 에반스(Tim Evans) CIP의 북미 책임자는 "이 패키지를 마감하는 것은 빈야드 윈드1 프로젝트의 재정적 성공을 달성하는 데 핵심 요소였다"며 "이 프로젝트는 이번 투자로 2030년까지 매사추세츠주의 온실가스 배출량을 50% 줄이겠다는 목표에 더 가깝게 만들었다"고 밝혔다.

페드로 아자그라(Pedro Azagra) 아방그리드의 CEO는 "국내 최초의 프로젝트로 새로운 역사를 창출해 가고 있다"며 "이 거래를 마무리하는 것은 빈야드 윈드1 프로젝트의 자금 조달 계획을 실행하는 데 중요한 이정표"라고 말했다.

아자그라 CEO는 이어 "이를 통해 우리는 프로젝트를 운영하기 위한 자금을 계속해서 조달할 수 있다"며 "매사추세츠주의 가정과 기업에 깨끗하고 재생 가능한 해상 풍력 에너지를 공급하는 데 한걸음 더 다가섰다"고 덧붙였다.

빌 키팅(Bill Keating) 미국 매사추세츠주 하원의원은 "인플레이션 감소법(IRA)은 미국 역사상 청정에너지와 기후변화에 대해 의회가 취한 가장 중요한 조치"라며 "오늘 발표는 IRA가 국내에 미치는 영향을 상기한다"고 강조했다.

키팅 의원은 또 "이 거래의 종결은 빈야드 윈드1의 자금 조달을 위한 중대한 조치이자 프로젝트 노동협정을 통해 보장된 청정에너지 경제와 노동조합 일자리를 위한 중요한 단계"라고 설명했다.

빈야드 윈드1은 2021년 말 현장 공사를 시작해 2023년 7월 해상변전소(Offshore Substation)를 완공했다. 또한, 2021년 7월 미국 최초로 해상풍력 프로젝트를 위한 프로젝트 노동 협약을 체결했으며, 이를 통해 500개의 노조 일자리를 창출했다.

빈야드 윈드 1은 미국 최초의 상업용 해상풍력(800MW) 프로젝트로, 내셔널 그리드(National Grid), 에버소스(Eversource), 유니틸(Unitil)과 경쟁력 있는 장기 전력 구매 계약에 따라 매사추세츠주의 40만 가구 이상의 가구와 사업체에 전력을 생산할 것이다. 

이 프로젝트는 운영을 시작한 첫 20년 동안 요금 납부자에게 14억 달러를 절감하고 연간 160만 톤 이상의 탄소 배출을 줄일 것으로 기대된다.

[원문보기]

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Announce Largest Single Asset Tax Equity Financing and First Large-Scale Offshore Transaction in the U.S.

$1.2 billion in capital raised for Vineyard Wind 1

BOSTON and COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Oct. 25, 2023 -- Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), a global leader in green energy investment, and Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), a leading sustainable energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, announced today that the Vineyard Wind 1 project closed a first-of-its-kind tax equity package for commercial-scale offshore wind with three US-based banks. The $1.2 billion dollar investment transaction was reached with J.P. Morgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo, making it the largest single asset tax equity financing and the first for a commercial scale offshore wind project.

“Closing on a tax equity package has always been a central element to achieving financial success for the first-of-its-kind Vineyard Wind 1,” said Tim Evans, partner and Head of North America for CIP. “With this investment, Vineyard Wind 1 moves Massachusetts closer to its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030.”

“We are continuing to make history with this first-in-the-nation project,” said Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO. “Finalizing this tax equity transaction is a critical milestone in executing the financing plan for Vineyard Wind 1. It will allow us to continue financing the project to make it operational. We are now one step closer to delivering clean, renewable offshore wind energy to Massachusetts homes and businesses.”

“The Inflation Reduction Act marked the most significant action Congress has taken on clean energy and climate change in our nation’s history, and today’s announcement is a critical reminder of the impact the IRA is having here at home,” said Congressman Bill Keating representing Massachusetts’s 9th District. “The closing of this transaction marks a critical step for the financing of Vineyard Wind 1, and in turn for our clean energy economy and the union jobs that have been guaranteed through the first-of-its-kind Project Labor Agreement between Vineyard Wind and the Massachusetts Building Trades.”

CCA Group, Santander Corporate & Investment Banking, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as financial and legal advisors to Vineyard Wind 1, CIP and Avangrid.

Vineyard Wind 1 began on-site construction in late 2021, achieved steel-in-the-water in June 2023, and completed the nation’s first offshore substation in July 2023. In July 2021, Vineyard Wind signed the first Project Labor Agreement for an offshore wind project in the United States, which provides for the creation of 500 union jobs though the project.

Vineyard Wind 1 is an 800 MW project located 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard and will be the first commercial scale offshore wind project in the United States. The project will generate electricity for more than 400,000 homes and businesses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under its competitive long term power purchase agreements with National Grid, Eversource, and Unitil. The project is expected to save ratepayers $1.4 billion over the first 20 years of operation and to reduce carbon emissions by more than 1.6 million tons per year.

About Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners

Founded in 2012, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners P/S (CIP) today is the world’s largest dedicated fund manager within greenfield renewable energy investments and a global leader in offshore wind. The funds managed by CIP focuses on investments in offshore and onshore wind, solar PV, biomass and energy-from-waste, transmission and distribution, reserve capacity, storage, advanced bioenergy, and Power-to-X.

CIP manages 11 funds and has to date raised approximately EUR 26 billion for investments in energy and associated infrastructure from more than 150 international institutional investors. CIP has approximately 400 employees and 12 offices around the world. For more information, visit www.cip.com

About Avangrid

Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $41 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, Avangrid has two primary lines of business: networks and renewables. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its renewables business, Avangrid owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.

About Vineyard Wind

Vineyard Wind 1 LLC is a joint venture offshore wind development company that is 50 percent owned by funds of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and 50 percent by Avangrid Renewables, a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR). For more information, visit www.vineyardwind.com.

[출처=코펜하겐 인프라 파트너스(CIP)(http://file:///C:/Users/PC/AppData/Local/Temp/MicrosoftEdgeDownloads/b152f7ab-4375-4523-a70d-f54bce14bb6d/copenhagen-infrastructure-partners-and-avangrid.pdf) / 2023년 10월 25일]

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