Advisory firm Lazard is understood to be quietly courting buyers for HMC Capital Limited's (ASX:HMC) $950 million renewable energy business it bought from Neoen, sources say. The understanding comes less than a year since the David Di Pilla-led business agreed to buy the Victoria assets of the -renewable energy provider. It is understood Lazard's pitch is that since HMC's purchase of the Neoen Victoria solar, battery and wind portfolio, which was generating about $60 million in annual earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation and had a 2.8 gigawatt renewable energy growth pipeline, it has rerated in terms of value.
It could be divested at a higher price. However, the challenge for HMC Capital is that it would be footing a tax bill on the sale of the business with 558 megawatts of contracted energy. HMC Capital outbid rivals in the Bank of America-run contest for Neoen's Victoria assets last year, agreeing to pay $950 million through two instalment payments, including a payment of $750 million at financial close and the remainder in December.
Lenders had agreed to underwrite about $550 million at the time. But since that time, raising the funds to own the business has been tough going. HMC Capital announced at the start of July that it had pushed back the settlement date of Neoen by one month.
It had also borrowed $200 million of mezzanine debt for Neoen and merged it with its Stor-Energy battery platform, as its star infrastructure executive who was to run the business, Angela Karl, departed. The news sent its share price more than 17% lower to $4.22, wiping about $400 million from the market value. Spanish renewable energy -operator Iberdrola was the underbidder in the previous contest, along with IFM and CIP.
Last year, HMC Capital worked with Macquarie Capital to buy the business. Lazard, headed in Australia by Andrew Leyden, has had a number of sell side roles for renewable energy assets, including Edify Energy, which requires billions of dollars in funding for Australian renewable energy projects. Final bids have been received, and among those in the final mix are believed to be Canadian pension fund CDPQ and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, while IFM had been around the hoop.
HMC earlier said it was "currently evaluating a range of options" in relation to the Energy Transition portfolio, including "portfolio optimisation". The plan for HMC Capital was to buy renewable energy assets such as Neoen Victoria, then raise funds from institutional investors that want exposure to the energy transition and spin the assets off into a fund. The group said the discussions with potential investors remained ongoing.
It also flagged a "strategic partnership" or merger, which would involve a partial sale.
