CPP Investments Raises US$1.36 Billion in EDP Share Sale

Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro and William Mathis of Bloomberg report Canada Pension Plan to raise $1.36 Billion in EDP share sale: 

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, one of the world’s largest pension funds, is set to raise about €839 million ($1.359 billion) from the sale of its 5.4 per cent stake in Portuguese energy company EDP SA.

CPPIB will price the sale at €3.729 ($6.04) each, the bottom of the marketed range, in an overnight placing arranged by Goldman Sachs Group Inc., according to terms seen by Bloomberg News. The offering of about 225 million shares was multiple times oversubscribed at that level, the terms show.

China Three Gorges Corporation is EDP’s top shareholder with 21.4 per cent of capital with Oppidum Capital S.L. holding 6.82 per cent and Blackrock Inc 6.08 per cent, according to the utility’s website.

Shares in EDP fell 9.7 per cent last week after it reported lower profit and narrowed its guidance for the full year. The company announced a new strategic plan to spend €12 billion ($19.44 billion) between 2026 and 2028 to expand its wind and solar energy projects as well as power networks in Iberia.  

So what is this all about? Exactly four years ago, CPP Investments reached 5% qualified shareholding in EDP:

Lisbon, December 10th, 2021: Pursuant to the terms and for the purposes of articles 17 and 244 of the Portuguese Securities Code and of the CMVM Regulation no. 5/2008, EDP - Energias de Portugal, S.A. (EDP) is providing the following information to the market:

On December 9th, 2021, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (“CPPIB”) notified EDP, in accordance with article 16 of the Portuguese Securities Code, that it had reached a qualified shareholding correspondent to 5.0116% of EDP’s share capital and of the respective voting rights, directly held. The 5% threshold was crossed by such company on December 3rd, 2021. Previously CPPIB’s overall position was 2.0094%.

Information regarding the chain of controlled undertakings and voting rights is disclosed in the attachment.

EDP – Energias de Portugal, S.A. 

A year later, EDP Renewables and Engie’s joint venture partnered with CPP Investments to develop a floating offshore project in California:

London, UK, 9th December 2022 – Ocean Winds (OW) and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments), through their 50/50 offshore wind joint venture Golden State Wind, were awarded a 32,500 hectares lease area by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in the Morro Bay area off the central coast of California.

The lease area awarded is one of five sites off the coast of California that was the subject of an auction held by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). This auction is particularly notable as it is the first floating offshore wind lease sale in the country, and the first offshore wind lease sale of any kind, on the West Coast.

OW is already developing around 4GW of offshore project in the Northeast of the U.S., Mayflower Wind off the New England coast, and Bluepoint Wind off the New York and New Jersey coasts. The latest is the project being developed out of the seabed lease area awarded during the New York Bight auction earlier this year.

Bautista Rodriguez, CEO of Ocean Winds said: “As a pioneer in floating offshore wind and firm believer in its capabilities to produce large capacity of clean energy and create local opportunities around the world, Ocean Winds is very proud to have been awarded a new project during this first floating offshore wind auction in the U.S. We are committed to bringing the country and California closer to meeting their clean energy goals, while building a new domestic industry, creating jobs, and boosting the local economy.”

Ocean Winds has more than 10 years of experience in floating offshore wind, most notably through the development and operation of Windfloat Atlantic, the world’s first fully commercially operational floating offshore wind farm. OW has a substantial portfolio of floating projects in Europe and South Korea and is ideally positioned to bring this technology to the Golden State.

When fully built out and operational, Golden State Wind’s lease area can accommodate approximately 2 GW of offshore wind energy, generating enough energy to power the equivalent of 90000 homes. This will bring the U.S. and California closer to meeting their clean energy goals of 15 GW of floating offshore wind generation by 2035 in the U.S. and 5 GW by 2030 in California – building a new domestic industry, creating jobs for Californians, and boosting the local economy.

As part of OW and CPP Investments’ winning bid, Golden State Wind committed to invest in workforce development and supply chain initiatives and to work closely with key local stakeholders to maximize the benefits to California from the emerging offshore wind industry. 

I invite you to read more about Golden State Wind here. Let me give you the gist of it:

Golden State Wind is a joint venture of Ocean Winds (OW) and Reventus Power, managed by OW.

OW is a global offshore wind company with more than 10 years of experience in the floating offshore wind sector. Created as a 50/50 joint venture of EDP Renewables and ENGIE, OW develops, builds, and operates offshore wind farms in communities around the world, based on our belief that offshore wind energy is an essential part of the global energy transition. OW, headquartered in Madrid, currently has 17 offshore wind projects in 8 countries and our total portfolio of offshore wind gross capacity in operation, under construction, or in advanced development is currently 18.8 GW. For more information, please visit www.oceanwinds.com. 

Reventus Power originates and invests in the development and long-term management of offshore wind projects globally. As a portfolio company of CPP Investments’ Sustainable Energies group, Reventus invests flexibly, and at scale, across the asset lifecycle. Reventus invests alongside strategic partners, bringing deep in-house technical, financial, and commercial expertise to projects across three continents. The team is proven in delivering value through the realisation of high quality offshore wind projects around the world. For more information, please visit www.reventuspower.com/.

In 2023, CPP investments bet big on green hydrogen, making a 130 million euro ($143 million) investment and the purchase of a majority stake in a three-year-old Dutch firm, Power2X.

Power2X's current projects include a green hydrogen and ammonia development in Portugal and a solar power and green hydrogen project in Spain. 

At the time, Portugal's largest utility EDP and oil and gas company Galp Energia were both planning to build green hydrogen plants in the same industrial hub of Sines. 

Why am I sharing all this with you?

Because EDP is huge and so is EDP Renewables in North America. 

Clearly CPP Investments made a strategic investment in this company to strengthen ties team up with them on joint ventures so their Sustainable Energy Group which was created back in 2021 can benefit from their expertise.

CPP Investments is now selling its 5.4% stake in EDP, raising $1.35 billion.  

Interestingly, Goldman is taking care of the transaction which was oversubscribed, which shows you there is strong investor interest in EDP.

I wouldn't read too much into this sale, all part of CPP Investments' portfolio management.

They're raising liquidity to invest in other opportunities. 

Below, During Capital Markets Day, on November 6th,EDP presented its strategic roadmap for the coming years, reinforcing its commitment to delivering clean, affordable, and secure energy to communities across the globe. With decades of experience in the renewables sector, EDP will continue to invest in more resilient grids, flexible clean technologies, and digital innovation—driving sustainable value for customers, partners, and shareholders.

Also, EDP Renewables North America LLC (EDPR NA), its affiliates, and its subsidiaries develop, construct, own, and operate wind farms, solar parks, and energy storage systems throughout North America. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, with 58 wind farms, 10 solar parks, and eight regional offices across North America, EDPR NA has developed more than 9,400 megawatts (MW) and operates more than 8,400 MW of onshore utility-scale renewable energy projects. 

With more than 1,000 employees, EDPR NA’s highly qualified team has a proven capacity to execute projects across the continent. Very impressive firm. 

Update: Someone kindly mentioned to me the investment in EDP was handled by the Infrastructure team led by Scott Lawrence at the time. Letting my readers know.