Cezary Podkul

Bill Green, the co-founder of a clean technology investment practice at VantagePoint Venture Partners, will lead Macquarie Capital Funds’ push into renewable energy infrastructure in North America. Macquarie currently has only a small portion of its infrastructure assets under management devoted to renewables.

The pension has investments in its pipeline that could bring its total commitments to the asset class to $1bn or more by early 2010. CalPERS has already invested $700m to the asset class.

Why a 35-year concession to upgrade and maintain Connecticut’s highway service stops is a PPP ‘put together in a more thoughtful way’ than the Chicago Skyway according to a Carlyle pro.

Thanks to a C$227.5m recapitalisation of the Dokie Wind Project in British Columbia, the first phase of the 300 megawatt wind farm will resume construction. Work halted on Dokie last year after now-bankrupt developer EarthFirst Canada could not finance the project.

The renewable energy-focused firm will invest its Renewable Energy Asia Fund in wind, small hydro, biomass and solar power opportunities.

Barry Gold, co-head of the private equity firm’s $1.15bn infrastructure fund, says the 35-year concession to upgrade and maintain the state’s highway service stops is a PPP ‘put together in a more thoughtful way’ than the Chicago Skyway.

Actis, a London-based private equity funds that targets emerging markets, is taking advantage of growing interest in emerging markets with a $750m infrastructure fund.

The emerging markets-focused private equity firm, which in October closed on $750m for its second infrastructure fund, may drop the word ‘infrastructure’ from future funds, Actis chief executive officer Paul Fletcher said in an interview.

A $178m deal to upgrade 23 highway rest stops - also adding retail food outlets from portfolio company Dunkin' Brands - marks the first PPP inked by the firm’s $1.1bn infrastructure fund.

In 2009, Americans have received warning after warning that their governments face alternatively a ‘decade of debt’ or a ‘lost decade’ due to massive, painful and protracted budget deficits that are here to stay. Opportunities are abound for infrastructure investors - but so are the pitfalls.