Bruno Alves
Bruno Alves is the Senior Editor of award-winning publication Infrastructure Investor. Bruno has been a journalist for nearly 20 years and first joined Infrastructure Investor in December 2009, where he quickly rose to become Associate Editor and a leading writer covering the infrastructure asset class. He’s been Senior Editor since 2015 and is also responsible for Agri Investor, PEI Group’s agriculture-focused publication.
Raj Rao, one of the founding members of Global Infastructure Partners, has been elected as its newest partner. The fund has also added two new senior hires to the team, including a global head of fundraising, as it prepares to raise a second fund.
The real estate arm of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund has bought 5% of French utility company Veolia Environnement. The acquisition is the fund’s second foray into the French infrastructure market after it acquired 5.78% of VINCI.
The UK waste manager, owned by Global Infrastructure Partners and Montagu Private Equity, has sent out information memoranda this week for the sale of its landfill gas unit. The sale is expected to net the company around £300m. Terra Firma and 3i are likely to be interested, according to media reports.
Brazilian-based Odebrecht has bought a 51% stake in a 1,085km gas pipeline in Peru from private equity firm Conduit Capital Partners.
The Spanish company said in a recent statement that it is prepared to lose its concessions in Argentina and Bolivia, which account for some 2% of the company’s revenues, as political risk mounts. However, this is just a precautionary measure, a spokesman said.
Toll road developers Atlantia, ACS, Abertis, Belfi, Cintra, Global Via, Hochtief and ISA have all suffered damages to their Chilean road concessions in the aftermath of the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Chile over the weekend.
The veteran infrastructure investors both won in four categories, with GIP taking the much coveted Global Infrastructure Fund of the Year award. The awards are a first for InfrastructureInvestor and attracted votes from over 35,000 industry participants, with both established players and rising stars taking the honours.
Global Infrastructure Partners’ Michael McGhee said at a conference yesterday that the fund was planning to issue bonds later this year to refinance a short-term loan it took out when it bought Gatwick airport for £1.51bn last year. The issue would be done in Gatwick’s name, not GIP’s.
The long-running sale of ACS’ ports division – which had revenues of €114m in 2008 – appears to be nearing its conclusion.
South Korea's national pension isn't the only party lining up for GIP's equity syndication following its £1.5bn Gatwick deal.