Coalburn 1 is a 500MW construction-stage battery project, which is set to become the biggest of its kind in Europe
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, April 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), on behalf of its fund Copenhagen Infrastructure IV (CI IV), has signed an agreement to divest a 50% ownership stake, upon site commissioning, to AXA IM Alts, a global leader in alternative investments.
Coalburn 1 is a 500MW, 2-hour duration, lithium ion battery energy storage system (BESS), located in South Lanarkshire, in southern Scotland. CIP took a financial investment decision for Coalburn 1 in December 2023 and will continue to lead Coalburn 1 project delivery through its current construction phase, and beyond the site's commissioning which is expected in early 2026. The project has a high level of contracted revenues through a 10-year optimisation agreement with SSE, alongside a 15-year capacity market agreement.
Coalburn 1 is one of three transmission-connected BESS assets currently being constructed by CIP in Scotland, which collectively will have a total power capacity of 1.5GW and will be able to store and supply the grid with a total of 3GWh of electricity, enough to supply over 4.5mn households for two hours. CIP is developing a further 4.5GW of BESS project across Scotland and England.
Coalburn 1 is part of an expanding CIP portfolio of UK energy infrastructure investments – CIP's CI V flagship fund recently announced that it exceeds the fund size of EUR 12 billion and invests in a range of renewable technologies from wind and solar PV to energy storage across Europe (including the UK), North America and Asia Pacific. CIP's portfolio of battery projects across the US, UK, Europe and Australia makes the company one of the leading investors of battery storage projects globally.
Nischal Agarwal, CIP Partner, said: “As CIP's development and construction portfolio of UK BESS projects continues to progress and grow, we look forward to welcoming AXA IM Alts as a new partner on our Coalburn 1 site, which once commissioned in 2026 shall be Europe's biggest operational BESS project. The delivery of Coalburn 1, alongside CIP's Coalburn 2 and Devilla construction projects, will improve the UK's energy security, enable more low cost renewables to be delivered, and will act to reduce costs for British consumers through enhanced system flexibility.”
Mark Gilligan, Head of Infrastructure, AXA IM Alts, commented: “Our investment in Coalburn 1 marks a significant milestone as we enter the UK energy storage market, reinforcing our commitment to supporting the transition to a zero carbon economy. Battery storage infrastructure is critical to achieving national energy security and unlocking the full potential of renewable energy, and we look forward to working with experienced leaders of the sector to deliver resilient, long-term value for communities, our investors and the environment.”
CIP's agreement to partially divest a stake in Coalburn 1 benefited from advice given by Ashurst (Legal Advisers: www.ashurst.com) and RBC Capital Markets (Financial Advisers: www.rbccm.com).
About Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners
Founded in 2012, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners P/S (CIP) today is the world's largest dedicated fund manager within greenfield energy investments and a global leader in offshore wind. The funds managed by CIP focus on investments in offshore and onshore wind, solar PV, biomass and energy-from-waste, transmission and distribution, reserve capacity, storage, advanced bioenergy, and Power-to-X. In the UK, CIP is investing in over 25 GW of renewable energy infrastructure, representing over £40 Billion of future investment potential.
CIP manages 13 funds and has to date raised approximately EUR 32 billion for investments in energy and associated infrastructure from approximately 180 international institutional investors. CIP has projects in more than 30 countries and more than 2500 employees across platforms and projects globally. For more information, visit www.cip.com
About AXA IM Alts
AXA IM Alts is a global leader in alternative investments with €186 billion of assets under management[1] comprising c.€81 billion of primarily private real estate, over €93 billion of private debt and alternative credit, as well as c.€12 billion in Infrastructure and private equity. We take a 360° approach to real estate & infrastructure investing with €126 billion of assets under management in direct opportunities, held indirectly through debt and listed equities and via long term private equity investments into operating platforms. ESG is fully integrated into our investment decision making processes with our responsible investment approach anchored by the three key pillars of decarbonisation, resilience and building tomorrow. AXA IM Alts employs over 980 people located in 17 offices around the world and serves the needs of over 640 clients from Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and Middle East. We are the number one property portfolio and asset manager in Europe, and one of the largest worldwide [2]. AXA IM Alts is a business unit of AXA Investment Managers.
1 Source: AXA IM Alts data (unaudited) as at 31 December 2024.
2 Highest-ranked Real Estate Manager in the European Union according to IPE's Global Top 150 Real Estate Investment Managers, based on total value of real estate assets under management, November/December 2024.
Visit our websites https://alts.axa-im.com and www.axa-im.co
For further information, please contact:
E-mail: media@cip.com
Oliver Routhe Skov, Head of Media Relations
Phone: +45 30541227
Email: orsk@cip.com
Thomas Kønig, Partner – Global Head of Fundraising and Partner – Investor Relations
Phone: +45 7070 5151
Email: tkon@cip.com