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Infrastructure funds seek value in fossil-powered gencos, nascent SE-Asia markets

Infrastructure’s steady yields are luring private capital investors to a space that was once almost exclusively the purview of institutional investors

Joan Ng
Published Tue, Jul 30, 2024 · 05:00 AM
    • Singapore-headquartered private equity firm Seraya Partners is focused on the hotspots of data centres and renewable energy but has set its sights on markets where it believes it will have an edge.
    • Singapore-headquartered private equity firm Seraya Partners is focused on the hotspots of data centres and renewable energy but has set its sights on markets where it believes it will have an edge. PHOTO: SERAYA

    TRADITIONAL power assets and nascent South-east Asian markets are among the targets of infrastructure funds seeking value in an increasingly popular space.

    Hamilton Lane, for instance, is pursuing more opportunities in the small- to mid-market space, where valuation multiples are anywhere from half to a fifth of what they are at the top end.

    “We’ve seen consistently better entry values,” said Brent Burnett, its head of infrastructure and real assets. He defines small companies as those with enterprise values below US$500 million, while those in the mid-market could be as large as US$1 billion.