KKR launches clean energy platform Virescent Infrastructure in India

MUMBAI: Global investment firm KKR has launched Virescent Infrastructure, a new platform to acquire renewable energy assets in India.
Headquartered in Mumbai, Virescent looks to identify investment opportunities that have stable cash flows stemming from long-term contracts with state and central government counterparties across India, said a company release.

Virescent currently owns 317MW of solar assets located in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. KKR has also entered into definitive agreements to acquire other operating solar projects across three different states.

“The launch of Virescent is a meaningful milestone for KKR’s Asia Pacific infrastructure strategy amid India’s ambitions to install 175GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022 and 450GW by 2030," said Hardik Shah, Managing Director on KKR’s Infrastructure team.

Virescent is led by Sanjay Grewal, former CEO of troubled real estate financier Altico Capital.

Renewable energy represents a key vertical within KKR’s infrastructure strategy, having invested in renewable energy businesses with more than 10,000 MW of total operational capacity, said the statement.

Renewable energy is estimated to comprise approximately 60% of India’s installed power capacity by 2030, from around 24% at present, according to India’s Ministry of Power and New & Renewable Energy.

KKR’s recent investments across asset classes includes Reliance Jio, Reliance Retail, IndiGrid, JB Chemicals, Max Healthcare and Ramky Envirotech.