Astris Finance is pleased to announce the closing of the Phoenix V transaction, the 810 M€ senior debt refinancing of a 255 MW portfolio of French solar assets held by Terres d’Energie, an investment vehicle jointly owned by Tenergie Group and Credit Agricole Pyrénées Gascogne. Astris Finance acted as exclusive financial advisor to the sponsors on this transaction.

The 170 operating PV assets composing the portfolio had been initially financed through a number of separate project finance facilities. Terre d’Energie took advantage of the attractive market conditions and of the portfolio’s outstanding operational track record to optimize its capital structure. The refinancing made it possible to extend the debt maturity, lower the debt service coverage ratio and significantly reduce financing costs.

The 810 M€ facility was led by BNP Paribas and the Crédit Agricole Group including CA-CIB and Auxifip acting as co-Mandated Lead Arrangers, with the participation of BPI France.

Arnaud Germain, head of Astris Finance activities in France, said: « We are extremely proud to have advised the Tenergie Group and Credit Agricole Pyrénées Gascogne on this landmark transaction, the largest renewable refinancing to date in France. We managed to run a thorough due diligence process and close the transaction in 6 months door-to-door thanks to our seamless cooperation with Tenergie. This is the fifth refinancing transaction we close with Tenergie since 2015. We are very thankful for the trust they have been placing in us over the years. »

Over the past 4 years, Astris Finance has raised over 3.5 bn € of project finance debt and executed 10 M&A transactions for a total enterprise value of c.5 bn € in the French renewable energy space.