Daniel Kemp

The demand for these structures has grown globally over the past 20 years. But will their popularity ever really take off outside Australia?

Westbourne Capital was one of the first pure-play infrastructure-debt managers when it was founded by a trio of former Hastings executives. On its 10th anniversary, founder and managing director David Ridley talks about increasing competition, LP appetite and what the future holds.

The infrastructure debt manager aims to complete fundraising for its $3bn vehicle by the end of 2018 with a mixture of existing and new clients from Australia and overseas on board.

The Hawaiki cable deal is the Australian firm’s first telecoms investment, which it plans to use as a launchpad for further opportunities in the sector.

The deal would see CKI sell a number of APA’s assets in Western Australia but is still subject to Foreign Investment Review Board approval.

The Australian state will sign contracts for six renewables projects that will see 928MW of electricity generated per year.

The acquisition of the 226MW project from RES and Macquarie Capital for ‘more than $142m’ is the Swiss firm’s fourth major wind farm investment in the country since 2015.

The FoF manager’s IPIF Core vehicle, established in 2015 and with $82.4m AUM, has achieved 9.5% returns since inception and is looking to expand.

The Australian competition watchdog’s decision not to block Transurban’s offer cements the listed toll road operator’s position as the dominant player in the NSW market.

Institutional clients will receive ‘tens of millions’ of dollars as the majority of the fund manager’s investments meet or outperform objectives.