Greenstone Equity Partners, a leading independent fund placement firm in the Middle East, has collaborated with Deutsche ErdWärme, a Karlsruhe, Germany-based geothermal development company, to raise up to €150 million ($168.8 million) for the development of a portfolio of geothermal licenses in Germany.

The geothermal energy market in Germany is experiencing rapid growth with attractive 20 year tariffs backed by the German government, which will provide investors with long-term high yield investment opportunities, said a statement.

The new partnership aims raise capital to partly-finance the construction of four geothermal projects which will generate a total of approximately 25 megawatts.

GCC investors will be invited to invest in a preferred equity structure, with a 10 per cent return, at low risk, as the tariff is backed by the German government.

In addition, there is no pipeline risk as the project pipeline is secured and it exceeds the target capital raise.

Omar Al-Gharabally, president of Greenstone, said: “Clean energy initiatives are gaining strong popularity, as the world is seeking to enhance global energy security, promote enduring economic growth and tackle environmental challenges.

“Several countries have already achieved tremendous clean energy deployment, while others have announced targets for shifting their energy systems onto a cleaner, more sustainable path. With this acceleration in interest from both public and private sectors in clean energy, we see renewables as strong assets for investors to invest in.”

Dr Herbert Pohl, co-founder and managing director of Deutsche ErdWärme, said: “Germany was one of the earliest countries in realising the world’s needs to achieve a clean energy revolution, thus has been a leader in global energy transition efforts. Deployment of renewable energy has been a top priority for the German government that aims to achieve 80 per cent of the German power generation to come from renewable energy by 2050, up from the current 25 per cent.

“Geothermal energy, which is heat from the earth converted into power, is an exceptionally clean and efficient alternative energy source. It is used both to generate electricity and as a natural means of heating homes and buildings. As a clean, base-load, 24/7 source of energy, we believe that geothermal energy has a tremendous potential in Germany.”

Deutsche ErdWärme (DEW) is part of the Jones Pohl Group, a privately-held, Dubai-based firm that invests early-stage capital in fragmented yet growing clean energy markets primarily in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said the statement.

DEW plans to initially develop a portfolio of several geothermal projects in Germany, and has already acquired data and studies for those projects, it said.

Geothermal energy is an emerging renewable energy market segment in Germany exhibiting strong growth potential, with currently 31 operational geothermal projects in the country.

An additional 43 projects are in development, which will at least double the installed capacity over the next five years.

To encourage private investments into this segment, the German government gives attractive incentives to investors and guarantees electricity tariffs without the need to negotiate a power purchase agreement.

The effective feed-in tariff for geothermal energy is currently €0.252/KWh and guaranteed for 20 years once the plant is operational. - TradeArabia News Service