Credit Agricole : invests in Amarenco Group and becomes its first institutional shareholder

Amarenco Group was created in 2013 by an Irish-French team of energy industry leaders. In 2017, Amarenco acquired the French developer Méthode Carré, specialized in agricultural photovoltaic power plants. From its global headquarter in Cork, Ireland, and its operational headquarter in South-West of France, Amarenco has rapidly increased its portfolio of projects thanks to several strategic partnerships, of which a successful joint-venture with Total Solar. The group currently employs more than 130 people worldwide.

The fundraising will contribute to financing both the group's international expansion particularly in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, and the consolidation of its leading position in European markets, particularly in France and Ireland.

Furthermore, IDIA Capital Investissement is innovating by launching the very first responsible convertible bonds whose return is directly indexed to the company's achievement of three environmental, health and social objectives: the promotion of agri-solar, the removal of asbestos from agricultural roofs, and the involvement of civic crowdfunding in project funding.

Alain Desvigne, Amarenco Group CEO, states: 'The climate war, which consists of preserving the life of all species on earth, cannot wait. It is absolutely vital that institutional capital continues to flow significantly to finance it. The weapons chosen by Amarenco and the Crédit Agricole Group are solutions to decarbonize the global economy by investing in both energy and agricultural transition. The entire Amarenco Group joins me in celebrating this important first step, in particular my co-founders John Mullins, Olivier Carré and Nick Howard'.

For Maud Minoustchin, Director of Energy Transition Investments at IDIA Capital Investissement: 'The Amarenco Group's growth strategy of moving from a developer model to an independent producer model fits perfectly with the investment philosophy of the Crédit Agricole Transitions fund. We are particularly proud of this partnership with Amarenco which thus promotes a more responsible finance for the ecological transition of territories'.

The players for the transaction are as follows:

• Crédit Agricole group:

• IDIA Capital Investissement : Maud Minoustchin, Guillaume Boccamaiello, Jean Lebreton
• Sofilaro : Benjamin Bessac
• Grand Sud-ouest Capital : Christophe Oré
• Nord-Midi Pyrénées : Frédéric Sajas

• Investors advisors:

• Financial advisors: Eight Advisory (Lionnel Gérard, Guillaume Catoire), Green Cape Finance (Geoffroy de Clisson)
• Tax advisor: Eight Advisory (Guillaume Rembry, Guillaume Exerjean)
• Legal advisors: Gide Loyrette Nouel (Alexis Pailleret, Chloé Bouhours, Alexandre Bochu, Pascal Suffran, Maxime Redon, Caroline Pineau, Emma George), Arthur Cox (John Matson, Michael Coyle, Niamh O'Toole, Sinéad McDonagh et Lyndsey McGinn)

• Company Advisors:

• Financial advisor: Finergreen (Théo Barallon, Matthieu Kuzdzal, Bastien Martinez)
• Legal advisors: Herbert Smith Freehills (Christophe Lefort, Mathias Dantin, Emma France, Edouard Thomas, Cyril Boulignat, Giuliano Lastrucci, Martin Dijos, Regis Oreal, Christelle Salmont-Lataste, Pierrrick Ferrero, Khadija Benchekroun, Sophie Brezin, Elisabeth Debregeas) and William Fry (Stephen Keogh, Fergus Devine, Laura O'Byrne, Colme Booth, James Downey) and Moran Ryan (Stephen Walker)
• Financial auditor and tax consultant: KPMG (Charles Abbey, Mathieu Gipoulou), KPMG Avocats (Mustapha Oussedrat, Caroline Chapuis), CJA (Jean Goncalves).