Matthieu Favas
The UK institution has backed two renewables projects with a combined capacity of 786MW, its largest investments in offshore wind to date.
The deal is the first direct investment in Austria and Germany by the US firm’s $1bn infrastructure fund.
The deal comes as the UK-listed renewables fund completes a £66.2m C share issue, short of its £85m original target.
The EU decision on capital requirements comes as the European Parliament works on establishing a new Long-Term European Investment Fund structure.
The funds will be used to acquire seven projects from parent group John Laing, which subscribed for 39.7% of the environmental fund.
The Lake Turkana project, backed by a €498m debt package, will add 300MW to the country’s generating capacity.
The deal is part of a €1.1bn transaction to acquire Bord Gáis Éireann, the state-owned energy company, alongside Centrica and Brookfield.
The transaction, which counts Belgian fund DG Infra among its lead sponsors, includes the first greenfield project bond backed by the EIB’s credit enhancement facility.
New pledges by the UK, US and Japan will aim to ensure 50% of the country’s population has access to power by 2017.
Fresh data shows toll roads and airports improving performance but significant regional differences remain.