Cezary Podkul

The German fund of funds' initial foray into the asset class will be launched next year once they complete a merger and become Sal Oppenheim Private Equity Partners.

Estimating that India will require $500bn of infrastructure investment in the next five years, Manmohan Singh celebrated a preliminary agreement between the two nations to seed a $100m joint investment fund for infrastructure and other essential sectors of the Indian economy.

Having reported a record loss of $3.3bn last quarter, the Texas utility reported a record net income of $3.6bn since its KKR-, TPG- and Goldman Sachs-led buyout last year. Management cited mark-to-market accounting standards as a primary driver behind both quarters’ earning swings.

The California-based placement agent, Probitas, also estimates that $21.5bn has been raised for infrastructure in the first nine months of 2008, less than the $34.3bn raised last year.

Infrastructure funds in the market are seeking some $94bn in fresh commitments. Take this with a grain of salt. Massive opportunity notwithstanding, not all of these funds will get raised, writes Cezary Podkul.

Having managed and underwritten its initial public offering on the Australian Stock Exchange, the Australian investment bank has now sold the last of its remaining shares in the consortium to build and operate A$4.8bn of infrastructure projects in Brisbane.

The California-based placement agent also estimates that $21.5bn has been raised for infrastructure in the first nine months of 2008, which is less than the $34.3bn raised last year, but more than the 2006 total of $17.9bn.

Puget Sound Energy, the target of a $7.4bn Macquarie-led takeover, may have to sell some of its power assets thanks to a ballot measure passed Tuesday in one of the Washington State utility's 11 service counties. The deal is still expected to go through unimpeded by the measure.

Jesús Olmos Clavijo, former CEO of Spanish utility Endesa, will report to Marc Lipschultz, KKR’s global head of energy and infrastructure and work alongside Simon Hipperson, managing director in its European infrastructure team in London.

With public spending on infrastructure falling despite rising oil revenues, a sizeable gap is opening in GCC and MENA states between required and available infrastructure financing, opening the window for private investment.