9 August 2024
The Renewables Infrastructure Group
Limited
"TRIG" or "the Company", a
London-listed investment company advised by InfraRed Capital
Partners ("InfraRed") as Investment Manager and Renewable Energy
Systems ("RES") as Operations Manager.
Announcement of Interim Results for the six months to 30 June
2024
Cash generation in line with expectations; and modest
valuation decline:
· Dividend cover of 1.1x in the period (30 June 2023: 1.7x), or
2.2x before the repayment of £103m of project level debt. TRIG's
dividend guidance of 7.47p/share for FY 2024 (4% growth
year-on-year) is reaffirmed by the Board.
· 4.3p
reduction in Net Asset Value per share to 123.4p as at 30 June 2024
(31 December 2023: 127.7p), predominantly due to lower near-term
power price forecasts, lower forecast inflation and below budget
generation.
· Generation in the period was 7% below budget including the
adverse impact of third-party owned cable outages at two UK
offshore wind farms, one of which has been repaired. Remedial works
have been scheduled for the second site with commercial protections
in place.
· Valuation discount rates unchanged. The weighted average
portfolio discount rate increased by 0.2% to 8.3% (31 December
2023: 8.1%), driven by changes in portfolio composition including
the acquisition of Fig Power, a UK-based energy projects
developer.
· Good
cash flow visibility comes from:
o 67%
of projected portfolio revenues over the next 10 years being at a
fixed price per MWh generated,
o 57%
of projected portfolio revenues over the next 10 years being
directly linked to inflation, and
o The
vast majority of debt being fixed rate and amortising.
Disciplined capital allocation:
· Disposal agreed for four wind farms across Ireland, UK
(Scotland) and, post period-end, Germany, for a combined
consideration of £189m, representing an average premium of 10% over
carrying value.
· Revolving Credit Facility ("RCF") floating rate drawings
reduced by £30m in the period to £334m at 30 June 2024 from
retained cash flows and proceeds from completed disposals, net of
investment activities. Further proceeds of £138m due as agreed
sales complete during the remainder of 2024.
·
Commencement of a £50m share buyback programme
recognises both the significant progress of disposal activities and
the accretive investment opportunity presented by acquiring TRIG's
shares when they are trading at their current discount to Net Asset
Value.
A
diversified 2.7GW portfolio of renewable energy assets,
with significant 1GW development pipeline:
· 2.9TWh
of clean energy generated during the period (30 June 2023: 2.9TWh).
The portfolio is capable of displacing 2.2 million tonnes of carbon
emissions per annum and powering 1.8m homes.
· 121MW
new onshore wind capacity added to the portfolio in the period
following the commissioning into operations of the Ranasjö and
Salsjö wind farms in Sweden.
· Construction commenced of the first project from TRIG's 1GW
2030 development pipeline: Ryton 78MW battery storage project in
the UK.
· Operational and technical enhancements deliver capital growth
through improving the generation output of TRIG's existing
portfolio. Aerodynamic improvement installations progressed during
the period.
· TRIG's
expert management team draws from the investment pedigree of
InfraRed and operational excellence of RES to benefit
TRIG's portfolio and enhance the Company's growth
potential.
Richard Morse, Chair of TRIG, said:
"TRIG continues to offer investors
scale, diversification and value. TRIG's attractive dividend, which
has been increased by 12.5% over the past five years, is being
supplemented by a £50m buyback programme in recognition of the
Company's robust cash flows, balance sheet strength and the premium
to carrying value achieved by the management team across £210m of
successful divestments signed during the past 12 months. TRIG's
management team takes a disciplined approach to implementing the
Board's capital allocation priorities and actively manages TRIG's
balanced portfolio to deliver long-term value to
shareholders."
Enquiries
InfraRed Capital Partners
Limited
+44 (0) 20 7484 1800
Minesh Shah
Phil George
Mohammed Zaheer
Brunswick
+44 (0) 20 7404 5959 / TRIG@brunswickgroup.com
Mara James
Investec Bank
Plc
+44 (0) 20 7597 4000
Lucy Lewis
Tom Skinner
BNP Paribas
+44
(0) 20 7595 9444
Virginia Khoo
Carwyn Evans
Notes
The Company
The Renewables Infrastructure Group
("TRIG" or the "Company") is a leading London-listed renewable
energy infrastructure investment company. The Company seeks to
provide shareholders with an attractive long-term, income-based
return with a positive correlation to inflation by focusing on
strong cash generation across a diversified portfolio of
predominantly operating projects.
TRIG is invested in a portfolio of
wind, solar and battery storage projects across six countries in
Europe with aggregate net generating capacity of 2.7GW; enough
renewable power for 1.8 million homes and to avoid 2.2 million
tonnes of carbon emissions per annum. TRIG is seeking further
suitable investment opportunities which fit its stated Investment
Policy.
Further details can be found on
TRIG's website at www.trig-ltd.com.
Investment Manager
InfraRed Capital Partners is an
international infrastructure investment manager, with more than 160
professionals operating worldwide from offices in London, New York,
Sydney, Seoul and Madrid. Over the past 25 years, InfraRed has
established itself as a highly successful developer and custodian
of infrastructure assets that play a vital role in supporting
communities. InfraRed manages US$13bn+ of equity
capital1 for investors around the globe, in listed
and private funds across both income and capital gain
strategies.
A long-term sustainability-led
mindset is integral to how InfraRed operates as it aims to achieve
lasting, positive impacts and deliver on its vision of Creating
Better Futures. InfraRed has been a signatory of the Principles of
Responsible Investment since 2011 and has achieved the highest
possible PRI rating2 for its infrastructure
business for seven consecutive assessments, having secured a 5-star
rating for the 2023 period3. It is also a member of the
Net Zero Asset Manager's Initiative and is a TCFD
supporter.
InfraRed is part of SLC Management,
the institutional alternatives and traditional asset management
business of Sun Life. InfraRed represents the infrastructure equity
arm of SLC Management, which also incorporates BentallGreenOak, a
global real estate investment management adviser, and Crescent
Capital, a global alternative credit investment asset
manager.
Further details can be found on
InfraRed's website at www.ircp.com
1 Uses 5-year average FX as at 31st March 2024 of GBP/USD of
1.2839; EUR/USD 1.1179. EUM is USD 12.927m.
2 Principles for Responsible Investment ("PRI") ratings are
based on following a set of Principles, including incorporating ESG
issues into investment analysis, decision-making processes and
ownership policies. More information is available at
https://www.unpri.org/about-the-pri
3
In the
2023 Principles for Responsible Investment ("PRI") assessment,
InfraRed achieved a 5 star rating for the Policy Governance and
Strategy and Infrastructure and a 4 star rating for the newly
created Confidence Building Measures. Please find InfraRed's report
available for download on our website
here: https://www.ircp.com/sustainability/
Operations Manager
TRIG's Operations Manager is RES
("Renewable Energy Systems"), the world's largest independent
renewable energy company.
RES is the world's largest
independent renewable energy company, working across 24 countries
and active in wind, solar, energy storage, biomass, hydro, green
hydrogen, transmission, and distribution. An industry innovator for
over 40 years, RES has delivered more than 24GW of renewable energy
projects across the globe and plans to bring more than 22GW of new
capacity online in the next five years.
As a service provider, RES has the
skills and experience in asset management, operations and
maintenance (O&M), and spare parts - supporting 41GW of
renewable assets across 1,300 sites. RES brings to the market a
range of purposeful, practical technology-based products and
digital solutions designed to maximise investment and deployment of
renewable energy. RES is the power behind a clean energy future
where everyone has access to affordable zero carbon energy bringing
together global experience, passion, and the innovation of its
4,500 people to transform the way energy is generated, stored and
supplied.
Further details can be found on the
website at www.res-group.com.
Chair's Statement
TRIG enters its second decade
positioned for growth, underpinned by robust cash flows from
existing projects, a proprietary investment pipeline and a
disciplined capital allocation strategy.
TRIG benefits from a specialist
management team that leverages the expertise and wide-ranging
capabilities of the Company's Managers: InfraRed and RES, to drive
shareholder value. The Company owns and operates a significant
£3.4bn portfolio of wind, solar and flexible capacity1
assets. Located across the UK and mainland Europe, these assets are
capable of powering up to 1.8m homes with clean electricity and
displacing up to 2.2m tonnes of carbon annually. The Company's
2.7GW portfolio generated 2.9TWh of renewable electricity in the
first half of 2024.
Our strategy is to deliver
attractive total returns through robust income and capital growth.
Active management of TRIG's balanced electricity generation
portfolio is underpinned by responsible investment practices and
operational excellence.
The portfolio remains cash
generative with £203m of operational cash flows2
generated in H1 2024. Divestments totalling £189m have been signed
in 2024 to date at an average 10% premium to carrying value,
continuing the Managers' active approach to portfolio and balance
sheet management.
Operational cash flow2 of
£203m represents gross cash cover of 2.2x the H1 2024 dividend, or
1.1x net dividend cover after the repayment of £103m
portfolio-level debt. Materially lower power prices in 2024
compared to recent years and cable outages at two offshore wind
farms have moderated dividend cover in H1 2024. TRIG's cash flows
remain robust with 75% and 67% of revenues fixed per unit of
electricity generated for the next 12 months and 10 years,
respectively. The Board reaffirms the dividend target of 7.47p per
share for 2024.
The Board and Managers' capital
allocation priorities remain to reduce floating rate debt
borrowings while delivering attractive shareholder returns and
pursuing strategic investment opportunities. The commencement of a
£50m share buyback programme recognises both the significant
progress of disposal activity and the accretive investment
opportunity presented by acquiring TRIG's shares when trading at
their current discount to Net Asset Value.
Based on current cash flow
projections, divestments agreed to date, and assuming that c. £25m
of the buyback programme is completed in 2024, RCF drawings would
reduce from £364m at 31 December 2023 to c. £220m at 31 December
2024. The Managers are progressing further disposals as well as
portfolio-level financing opportunities. Proceeds will be applied
to reducing RCF drawings further, creating greater capacity for
future investments. The Board and Managers have a rigorous approach
to capital allocation that considers prevailing market conditions.
New investments that progress the Company's strategy are appraised
against alternative uses of capital, including buybacks. Current
expectations are that disposals and financing activities would
enable the reduction of RCF drawings to c. £100m during
2025.
The downward trend in near-term
power prices has been a predominant factor in the reduction of the
portfolio valuation in the period by 4.3p per share to 123.4p per
share as at 30 June 2024. Base case return expectations from the
portfolio are represented by the valuation discount rate, which
increased 0.2% in the period to 8.3%, presented prior to the future
incremental benefit from new investments, construction and
development activities, and operational and portfolio
enhancements.
TRIG's portfolio continues to
benefit from inflation linkage, with over half of forecast revenues
across portfolio companies over the next 10 years directly linked
to inflation through government-backed contracts. TRIG also has
limited cash flow exposure to higher interest rates, with the vast
majority of TRIG's debt being fixed rate and amortising. These
characteristics continue to help insulate the Company from changes
in interest rates and inflation expectations.
During the period, the Ranasjö and
Salsjö onshore wind farms in Sweden both became operational,
bringing online 242MW of gross capacity. Since IPO, TRIG's Managers
have now delivered 650MW net capacity through construction of new
projects, 310MW of which has been organically funded from retained
cash.
In February, the Company acquired
Fig Power, a UK energy projects developer with a focus on battery
storage. Development of the 78MW Ryton battery storage project was
completed in the period and construction commenced in
April.
The 23MW Cuxac onshore wind farm in
France is currently being prepared to enable repowering works to
commence. Once constructed, the project will benefit from a new
20-year, inflation-linked feed-in-tariff and an increased capacity
of 25MW.
Looking forward, the Company has c.
1GW of development opportunities within the portfolio that could
enter construction by 2030. As the development pipeline is
progressed, it will continue to be appraised against alternative
uses of capital. Projects built from TRIG's development pipeline
are expected to be self-funded through retained cash in excess of
the dividend, proceeds from portfolio rotation or debt capacity as
existing portfolio-level debt amortises. The fixing of merchant
revenues through PPAs or other medium-term fixes could create
further debt capacity within the portfolio.
TRIG continues to be uniquely
positioned to benefit from RES's deep knowledge and capabilities to
optimise asset performance. Commercial and technical enhancement
works remain ongoing at selected sites, with good progress on
aerodynamic improvements and software enhancements during the
period. These operational enhancements continue to improve yield at
TRIG's projects, helping to reduce costs associated with downtime
and increase revenue through generation optimisation.
As communicated in TRIG's 2023
Annual Report, InfraRed's Richard Crawford stepped down from
leading the investment management of TRIG on 30 June 2024. Minesh
Shah has taken over these responsibilities. TRIG will continue to
benefit from Richard's experience through the TRIG Investment
and Advisory Committees.
We anticipate macro trends to
continue to support the renewables sector, with decarbonisation and
energy security remaining high on the agendas across most of the
European political spectrum. TRIG's management team is engaging
with various energy sector and financial regulation consultations
as policy makers address the challenges of delivering net zero
commitments.
TRIG continues to offer investors
scale, diversification and value. TRIG's attractive dividend, which
has been increased by 12.5% over the past five years, is being
supplemented by a £50m buyback programme in recognition of the
Company's robust cash flows, balance sheet strength and the premium
to carrying value achieved by the management team across £210m of
successful divestments signed during the past 12 months. TRIG's
management team takes a disciplined approach to implementing the
Board's capital allocation priorities and actively manages TRIG's
balanced portfolio to deliver long-term value to
shareholders.
Richard Morse
Chair
8 August 2024
1. Flexible
capacity is generation technologies that can store energy and
respond to electricity demand levels and pricing signals, such as
batteries, pumped hydro storage and green hydrogen.
2.
Operational cash flow generated is reconciled to the cash flow
statements as follows: Cash flow from investments £128m less
Company (including its immediate subsidiaries TRIG UK and TRIG UK
I) expenses £28m plus project-level debt repayments
£103m.
Investment Report
Financial highlights
Financial performance and valuation
The Group's operational cash flow
generation in the first half of 2024 was in line with expectations
at £231m, or £203m less fund expenses. These operational cash flows
represent 2.2x coverage of the £91m cash dividend paid to
shareholders. During the period, repayment of £103m of
portfolio-level debt (in accordance with amortisation schedules)
together with operating costs, finance costs and working capital
resulted in distributable cash flow of £100m (H1 2023: £145m),
covering the cash dividend 1.1x.
Dividend cover in the period was
moderated by materially lower prices than achieved in recent years
and third-party owned cable outages at two UK offshore wind farms,
Hornsea One and East Anglia 1. The outage at Hornsea One has been
fixed and remedial works have been scheduled for East Anglia 1.
Commercial protection is in place for future losses relating to
this outage. These cable outages have resulted in a combined -0.8p
per share adverse impact on TRIG's valuation, contributing to an
overall -1.5p per share adverse impact due to lower generation.
Distributions were also held back from assets being sold, as is
customary. Dividend cover for the remainder of 2024 is expected to
remain c. 1.1x before returning to levels consistent with the
long-term average of 1.2x to 1.3x from 2025. Cash flows during the
period were supported by the portfolio's inflation linkage,
diversification and high proportion of fixed revenues, providing
some resilience against power price declines in the period from
recent peaks.
The Company's Net Asset Value as at
30 June 2024 was 123.4p per share (31 December 2023: 127.7p per
share) and the Company's Portfolio Valuation was £3,358 million.
Earnings for the period were -0.6p per share (H1 2023: +1.1p),
principally reflecting below budget generation in the period and
lower power price forecasts flowing through to a reduction in the
portfolio valuation.
TRIG's portfolio benefited from
continued active financial and operational management, including
the disposal of four wind farms across Ireland, UK (Scotland) and
Germany for a combined consideration of £189m, representing an
average premium of 10% to the valuation of the wind farms as at 31
December 2023. Active management, driven by profits on disposals,
reduced the impact of lower generation by adding 0.6p per share to
the portfolio valuation.
Macroeconomic movements have
impacted the portfolio valuation by approximately -3.2p per share
in total, which largely reflected reductions in power price
forecasts over the next five years across the markets where TRIG
has investments and a reduced UK inflation forecast for
2024.
Accordingly, the Company's NAV per
share has reduced by -4.3p in the period reflecting adverse
macroeconomic movements and below budget generation, partially
offset by active management factors.
TRIG benefits from 67% of revenues
being fixed and 57% of revenues directly linked to inflation
indices over the next ten years, largely through government-backed
revenue contracts. These serve to reduce the portfolio's
sensitivity to near-term fluctuations in power price forecasts and
provide inflation linkage.
The portfolio's weighted average
discount rate increased by 0.2% in the period to 8.3% as at 30 June
2024, reflecting changes in portfolio composition as well as the
addition of higher-returning battery storage development to the
portfolio. As at 30 June 2024, there remains an implied 4.7% equity
risk premium above long-term government benchmark yields, which the
Investment Manager considers appropriate in particular with
reference to the pricing of TRIG's own disposals.
Greater detail on the valuation
movements during the six months to 30 June 2024 can be found in the
Valuation of the Portfolio section.
Gearing and capital allocation
The Company's Board and Managers
continue to emphasise responsible management of TRIG's balance
sheet. Portfolio-level debt is fixed rate and amortising during the
period of government-backed contracts with no refinancing risk.
£103m of portfolio company level debt was repaid in the period with
further c. £100m scheduled to be repaid in H2 2024.
The primary use of retained cash
flows from the portfolio and disposal proceeds has been to finance
£41m investment activity, including construction and development
expenditure in H1 2024 as well as reduce TRIG's floating rate debt
exposure under the Company's Revolving Credit Facility.
TRIG's RCF, which has a total
funding capacity of £600m and matures on 31 December 2025, is being
used to fund TRIG's investment activities to deliver growth across
the portfolio. The RCF total size was reduced in the period from
£750m to £600m in order to reduce expenses associated with the
reserved capacity.
At the Company's 2023 Annual Results
announcement, RCF drawings were anticipated to be reduced from
£364m at 31 December 2023 to about £150m over the following 12
months, through retained cash in excess of the dividend and
divestment proceeds, net of funding construction
commitments.
Drawings under the RCF as at 30 June
2024 were £334m. Divestments proceeds expected to be received in H2
2024 from the sales of Pallas onshore wind farm (announced on 12
March 2024) and the 15.2% equity interest in Gode would reduce
TRIG's RCF borrowings to c. £195m.
Given the significant progress made
in respect of TRIG's capital allocation priorities, the Board has
announced a 12-month share buyback programme of up to £50m. The
Board and Managers consider the acquisition of the Company's shares
to be an attractive investment opportunity, particularly whilst
TRIG's shares are trading at a significant discount to the
Company's Net Asset Value and divestments are being realised in
excess of carrying value.
Based on current cash flow
projections, divestments agreed to date and assuming c. £25m of the
buyback programme is completed in 2024, RCF drawings would reduce
from £364m at 31 December 2023 to c. £220m at 31 December 2024. The
Managers are progressing additional disposals as well as
portfolio-level financing opportunities to enable the reduction of
RCF drawings further, and to create greater capacity for future
investment activities.
Investment highlights
TRIG continues to benefit from a
large, diversified and balanced portfolio with investments spread
across different geographies, technologies, revenue types and
project stages to mitigate risk and deliver attractive long-term
returns. The Investment Manager takes a careful and considered
approach to portfolio composition. The risk-reward profile of new
investments is appraised alongside alternative uses of the
Company's retained cash flows, in particular reducing higher cost
floating rate borrowings and share buybacks.
Successful delivery of development
and construction projects into operation is a key mechanism for the
Managers to create additional value for shareholders. During the
period, the Ranasjö and Salsjö onshore wind farms in Sweden were
both commissioned, adding 121MW of net capacity to TRIG's
portfolio, further strengthening and diversifying the
Company's revenues.
TRIG's portfolio includes
development opportunities representing 1GW capacity that could
enter construction by 2030 and be financed from retained cash,
portfolio rotation or debt capacity without the need
for equity issuance. This includes over 650MW of battery
storage development projects, including that of Fig Power acquired
in February 2024.
Development activities to maximise
the value of TRIG's existing assets through repowering are
progressing well in France and Northern Ireland. Repowerings can
provide a route for TRIG to secure further government-backed,
inflation-linked revenues, as well as install modernised and more
efficient technology, from established sites that have local
support and where the wind conditions are well understood. As the
Company's portfolio matures, we expect to benefit from further
opportunities to repower sites and crystalise additional
value.
TRIG retains the option to build or
sell assets in the development pipeline, with investment decisions
being appraised against alternative uses of capital. In April 2024,
development activities were concluded and construction commenced of
the first project in the battery storage pipeline: the 78MW 2-hour
Ryton project. The Board and the Managers continue to view battery
storage as a critical sector for the European energy transition as
batteries can respond to price signals and provide flexibility,
while supporting grid stability and quality.
Current outstanding commitments
As at 30 June 2024, the Company had
outstanding investment commitments of £102m relating to the
construction of UK battery storage projects and the financing of
the Fig Power platform.
|
H2
2024
|
2025
|
2026
|
2027
|
Total
|
Outstanding
commitments (£m)
|
11
|
41
|
13
|
37
|
102
|
£138m of sales receipts are expected
to be received in relation to the sales of Pallas and Gode
following completion during H2 2024. The Company's £600m RCF was
drawn £334m as at 30 June 2024.
Revenue profile
TRIG benefits from diversification
across several power markets, with projects in Great Britain, the
Single Electricity Market (relating to projects in Northern
Ireland), the main continental European power market (France and
Germany), the Nordic market (Sweden) and the Iberian market
(Spain).
TRIG's portfolio cash revenues have
good medium-term protection from movements in power prices as the
portfolio receives the majority of its revenue from
government-backed contracts, referred to as fixed revenues. These
include Feed-in-Tariffs ("FiTs"), Contracts for Difference
("CfDs"), and Renewable Obligation Certificates ("ROCs") as well as
Power Purchase Agreements ("PPAs") in which electricity generated
is sold with fixed prices or from other hedges. The Managers
continue to actively secure attractive new fixes of varying
tenors.
67% of projected revenues over the
next 10 years are fixed price per MWh generated. 57% of projected
revenues are directly linked to inflation through government-backed
revenue contracts.
The Group1 receives a
portion of its revenues in Euros. 41% of the portfolio by value is
invested in Euro-denominated assets2. The Group employs
foreign exchange hedging to significantly mitigate the cash flow
and valuation exposure to this risk, as expanded upon in the
Valuation of the Portfolio section on page 18.
The Investment Manager implements
the Company's foreign exchange hedging policy through Sterling-Euro
swaps for up to four years forward. As a result of the interest
rate differential between UK and the Eurozone, forward foreign
exchange contracts over the next four years have been struck at
levels better, in Sterling terms, compared to the foreign exchange
rate as at 30 June 2024 and used in the portfolio
valuation.
Principal risks and uncertainties
TRIG's principal risks for H2 2024,
approach to risk management and counterparty exposures are
unchanged to those set out in the Risk and Risk Management section
of the 2023 Annual Report on page 56. TRIG has three enduring
principal risks with a high residual impact (political/ regulatory
risk, power prices and production performance) and, at present,
counterparty credit remains an elevated principal risk due to the
current macro environment. Below is a commentary on the key
movements in these risks in the period.
In a macroeconomic environment where
inflation and interest rates have been elevated, the correlation of
portfolio returns to inflation and the Company's approach to
long-term, fixed-rate and amortising structural debt are key risk
mitigants.
Political / regulatory
The risk of government or regulatory support for renewables
changing adversely.
Decarbonisation and energy security
are recognised as being of critical importance across most of the
European political spectrum. In a year with elections across Europe
there are risks in relation to renewables rollout rates and
electrification. This may impact power price forecasts and the
financing of renewables build out.
In the UK, the new Labour
Government's energy policy priorities include establishing a
state-owned energy company, increasing funding being made available
in the next Contract for Difference auction round and revising
planning policies related to the build out of onshore wind. Each of
these measures seeking to accelerate the build out of renewables.
There is also a strong recognition of the importance of increasing
grid investment to support the energy transition. The Managers are
encouraging the new Labour Government to make the CfD framework
available to existing projects, particularly where there is an
opportunity to upgrade or repower such projects.
'Windfall' taxes and levies on
generators were introduced in 2022 on the back of particularly
elevated power prices to help fund financial support to ease the
cost of electricity to end users. In the UK, the Electricity
Generator Levy is in place until 2028. In the EU, many of these
levies expired on 30 June 2023, with the notable exception of
France which extended electricity windfall taxation into 2024.
There remains a risk that further intervention may result if
electricity prices were to increase significantly again.
As detailed under Market
Developments, the UK government is assessing options to reform
electricity markets, including how wholesale electricity prices are
set and long-term revenue support frameworks. TRIG's approach to
diversify political and regulatory risk across several markets and
jurisdictions helps to reduce the impact on the portfolio from
individual risks at a national (or more local) level.
Power prices
The risk of electricity prices falling or not increasing as
expected.
Power prices have been particularly
volatile since 2020, with periods of very low pricing experienced
during the Covid pandemic and periods of very high prices following
the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine which have since returned
to more normalised levels.
Near-term power prices trended lower
during the first three months of 2024 before recovering slightly in
the second half of H1. The Electricity Generator Levy in the UK and
Inframarginal cap in France remain in place but have a limited
impact on these sensitivities. Near-term power price forwards
continue to trade below current and/or former government
intervention thresholds in all markets, with forward prices in GB
close to the threshold.
There has been little change in the
long-term fundamentals of power prices in the period, leading to
limited movements in long-term power price forecasts compared to
those as at 31 December 2023 in most geographies.
There remains an inherent risk of
adverse movements in wholesale electricity prices reducing
revenues, which may result from higher than expected renewables
build-out, lower than expected natural gas and carbon prices, and
lower than expected electricity demand.
These risks are partially mitigated
through TRIG's power price management and portfolio diversification
strategies. This includes negotiating fixed-price PPAs or other
hedges which, taken together with subsidies, results in 67% of
TRIGs revenues (per unit of electricity generated) being fixed over
the next 10 years.
The valuation of the Company's
portfolio considered the market derived forward prices in the
shorter term in conjunction with a blend of
cannibalised3 power price forecast curves produced by
three independent forecasters.
Production performance
The risk that portfolio electricity production falls short of
expectations.
Weather resource was mixed over the
period, with wind levels experienced by TRIG's offshore projects in
GB and Germany being greater than the long-term average. Wind
levels in Sweden were lower than the long-term average. This
variation between regions demonstrates the importance of geographic
and technology diversification in a balanced portfolio.
Cable outages impacted the
performance of two of TRIG's GB offshore sites limiting their
ability to capture the favourable wind conditions. TRIG's approach
to low single asset concentration limits the impact of issues at
any one project on the portfolio as a whole.
Counterparty credit
The risk of a failure of a major supplier.
TRIG's portfolio is weighted towards
wind-power assets, a sector that is dominated by a small number of
equipment manufacturers. Counterparty failure could result in
equipment not being supplied to construction projects or
operational and maintenance services not being provided to
commissioned projects or being disrupted. Given the challenges
faced by some equipment manufacturers due to cost escalation
in the current macro environment, counterparty credit risk
increased in 2023.
Construction activities are limited
by TRIG's Investment Policy cap of 25% of portfolio value and were
5% of portfolio value at 30 June 2024. The Ranasjö and Salsjö
projects were commissioned into operations in the period, reducing
counterparty risk in the portfolio. Remaining construction projects
are in the battery storage sector where there is a wider range of
equipment suppliers compared to the wind sector.
The increase in independent
operations and maintenance service suppliers reduces dependence on
the original equipment manufacturers, particularly with respect to
onshore technologies.
Market developments
UK
In March 2024, the then UK
Government issued its second phase Review of Electricity Market
Arrangements ("REMA") consultation. Whilst nodal pricing, which
would see Great Britain's electricity markets divided into hundreds
of price areas, has been discounted, zonal locational marginal
pricing remains a subject of ongoing debate. Under zonal pricing,
the UK could be split into several price zones with pricing
reflecting local supply and demand imbalances in each
region.
A move to locational pricing may
result in merchant power revenues received by projects closer to
demand centres increasing. Conversely, in areas where electricity
supply exceeds demand, offtake prices may reduce. Should locational
pricing be adopted, it is unlikely to be beneficial for most wind
farms as such projects tend to be located in remote areas, although
transitional arrangements may be adopted that could mitigate this
risk.
Several studies have been conducted
to assess the potential impacts of the REMA market reform options.
Two opposing positions of the potential market impact of locational
marginal pricing have emerged: one indicating that locational
marginal pricing might result in lower costs for customers but
assuming no increase in cost of capital resulting from the market
reform uncertainty and changes in electricity price dynamics, and
the other positioning that increases to investors' cost of capital
due to zonal price uncertainty would more than offset any system
benefit that could be passed on to customers.
In both cases, studies highlight
significant unquantified risks with overhauling market structures.
It is also important that any reform options continue to appeal to
renewables developers and financiers, with signs already that wind
farm development is reducing due to mounting economic and supply
chain pressures.
The extent to which the REMA process
will feed into the new Government's policy position is unclear at
the time of writing. The Managers are engaging with the Government
to highlight the challenges of zonal pricing and to encourage any
changes to market arrangements to focus on evolving existing
frameworks.
EU
Discussion of electricity market
reform in the EU remains ongoing. In 2019, the EU Agency for the
Cooperation of Energy Regulators and European Transmission System
Operators commenced a review of alternative bidding zone
configurations across Europe. Currently, bidding zones in Europe
are mostly defined by national borders, however the European
electricity target model requires bidding zones to be defined based
on network congestion. As in the GB electricity market, changes to
electricity price areas could adversely impact renewable generation
merchant revenues located in regions with higher proportions of
supply relative to demand.
The overall implications of this
review are not expected to be significant for the TRIG portfolio if
enacted. TRIG's approach to portfolio diversification across
markets, technologies, and subsidised and merchant projects help to
reduce the impact of market reform at a portfolio level.
Further public consultations are
expected to be held in Q3 2024.
Outlook
Though the macroeconomic and
geopolitical environment continues to be unpredictable, TRIG
remains well positioned, as evidenced by its recent divestments at
a premium to carrying value and strong cash generation. Over the
past eighteen months, the Company's self-sufficiency has been
demonstrated through disciplined capital allocation and accretive
investments. This continues to be the strategy looking forward,
with a future development pipeline of c.1GW capacity that can be
developed and enter construction by 2030, and the first project
from this pipeline completing development activities and entering
construction in the period.
The experience of TRIG's management
team, which draws on the investment pedigree of InfraRed and
operational excellence of RES, continues to benefit TRIG's
portfolio. As markets recover, TRIG's growth strategy will not only
enhance the income delivered to shareholders, but also provide the
potential for capital growth to drive a greater proportion of
total return to shareholders
1. The
Company, TRIG UK, TRIG UK I and its portfolio of investments are
known as the "Group".
2. Including
Sweden which receives electricity revenues from Nord Pool in Euros.
The proportion of the portfolio in Euros post disposals and
commitments is 38%.
3.
Cannibalisation describes the effect that renewables (an
intermittent generator) can have on the overall power prices,
whereby the marginal cost of generation, which in turn drives the
power prices, is lower than the average which would be expected of
a continuous base load generator as a result of the additional
supply when renewables are generating. Rates differ over time and
between markets but all are affected.
Operations Report
Operational performance
Technology
|
Region
|
H1
2024 Electricity Production (GWh)*
|
Performance vs Budget
|
Onshore Wind
|
UK & Ireland
|
707
|
-6%
|
France
|
313
|
-7%
|
Sweden
|
374
|
-14%
|
Offshore Wind
|
GB
|
690
|
-8%
|
Germany
|
430
|
1%
|
Solar
|
GB, France
|
80
|
-7%
|
|
Spain
|
339
|
-8%
|
Total Portfolio
|
|
2,934
|
-6.9%
|
*
Balance does not cast due to rounding.
Underlying generation performance
was impacted by grid and cable outages, lower weather resource in
some regions, particularly in Sweden, and negative price
curtailments in Spain.
Onshore wind
UK
& Ireland
Performance in the region was
impacted by below budget wind resource in January and May, with
availability being reduced due to several major component exchanges
in the period. Grid faults also impacted performance across three
Scottish onshore wind sites.
A retendering of Operations and
Maintenance ("O&M") contracts for projects in Northern Ireland
concluded in the period, with good value secured.
Blade enhancement installation works
continued at six sites to improve the aerodynamic properties of the
blades - see the Enhancements section on page 13 for more
information.
There continues to be a focus on
maximising REGO value when renewing Power Purchase Agreements
("PPAs"), and this has continued in the period through several new
and renewed PPAs.
France
At Rosières onshore wind farm, a
turbine blade damaged from a lightning strike has been returned to
service following a blade replacement, with insurance expected to
provide comprehensive commercial protection for repairs and lost
generation.
The 42.5MW Vannier onshore wind
farm's environmental authorisation is subject to an ongoing legal
challenge. A court ruling has required the wind farm to temporarily
suspend generation, for an assumed period of up to 12 months,
whilst updated environmental data is collected. TRIG has commercial
protection in place for this.
Proactive measures at some of the
more mature sites have been undertaken to reduce risk to related
downtime.
Sweden
Sweden experienced below budget
resource in the period, with grid maintenance reducing export
capacity at Jädraås.
The Ranasjö and Salsjö projects
became operational in April. Located in central Sweden, the sites
consist of 39 Siemens 6.2MW turbines. TRIG has a 50% interest in
the projects representing 121MW of net generation capacity.
Construction management was led by Arise. During construction, the
Arise Construction Manager liaised regularly with the local Sami
village chairperson to understand and share information on the
reindeer herding movements and construction activities to avoid
significant adverse impact on the community.
Offshore wind
GB
At Hornsea One, Power Curve
'Optipitch' upgrades have been rolled out and the project has also
achieved success in a bid for the provision of Electricity System
Response (ESR) services to National Grid ESO - see the Enhancements
section for more information.
Hornsea One suffered a cable fault
in January when one of three third-party OFTO-owned export cables
failed. The remaining two other cables were temporarily curtailed
to preserve cable integrity. The first cable failure was repaired
in February, and following an initial restriction of export
capacity all curtailments were lifted in early June 2024. All
repair costs were borne by the OFTO and an insurance claim process
is underway for the lost generation.
Cable failures also occurred at East
Anglia 1 in the period. A failure in one of two OFTO-owned export
cables led to a reduction in total transmission capacity. Repair
works are anticipated to commence in Q3 2024 at the cost of the
OFTO, and insurance processes are underway for some of the lost
generation.
Ofgem continues to review
generators' participation in the balancing market. It was announced
on 28 May 2024, that the Beatrice project (which TRIG owns 17.5%
of) had agreed with Ofgem to make a payment of c. £33m to the Ofgem
Redress Fund. The payment followed Beatrice's inadvertent breach of
one of its Electricity Generation Standard Licence Conditions
relating to the price bid into the balancing market, to reduce
generation where needed by the system operator to ensure the
electricity system remained balanced. The inadvertent breach
relates to the pricing approach in periods of unusually high
wholesale power prices. The Operations Manager has reviewed the
other GB wind projects participating within the balancing market in
TRIG's portfolio and does not consider any of these other projects
to have breached their licence conditions in respect of price
charged in the balancing market.
Germany
Production was on budget, with good
wind resource offsetting some grid losses and a substation outage
at Merkur.
A turbine power curve upgrade was
completed at Merkur. Elsewhere at the site, blade leading edge
protection works continue under warranty and are scheduled to
conclude in Q3 2024.
Solar
Spain
Generation was 8% below budget
despite very high availability due to low irradiance in Q1 and
curtailments for the Cadiz projects during periods of low pricing,
stemming from the high rainfall increasing run of river
hydroelectric power generators' output in the period. New route to
market agreements for the sites have enabled participation in the
ancillary services market, which provides an additional revenue
stream for the projects when curtailed at low prices, which is
already in place at Valdesolar.
In July, the Cadiz solar projects
were awarded the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF) Seal of
Excellence for Sustainability, recognising the integration of
social and environmental factors following an independent
audit.
GB
In the GB region, a site will
shortly be moving forwards with module replacement of a significant
number of modules to improve the overall efficiency and prolong the
life of the site.
France
In France, panels were procured in
the period to upgrade two sites within a joint venture
portfolio.
Development & construction
Swedish wind farms Ranasjö and
Salsjö have now been fully constructed, commissioned, and passed
into operations. The project team has successfully negotiated and
placed the route to market agreement, and relevant long-term
agreements are in place with both the turbine supplier and asset
manager to support the operations of the project.
The first project in TRIG's 1GW 2030
development pipeline, the 78MW 2-hour Ryton Battery Energy Storage
System (BESS) project near Newcastle, commenced construction in
April. Ryton is progressing on schedule with enabling ground works
complete and Independent Connection Provider (ICP) and Electrical
Balance of Plant works commenced in July. The Narada BESS units
will be delivered to site in 2025 ahead of energisation in H2
2025.
Pre-construction activity on the
next two battery projects is progressing. The grid connection date
for the 100MW Spennymoor project has been brought forward from 2031
to 2026. There may be an up to two year delay to the grid
connection date for the 90MW Drakelow project. The development team
is engaging with grid companies to minimise this delay. A revised
planning consent has been obtained for the Drakelow project to
reflect the final site design.
Repowering works continue to
progress in France. Cuxac has secured a tariff of €86/MWh and
obtained authorization for increase in site capacity from
22.8MW to 25.2MW. The preferred turbine supplier has also been
selected. Dismantling of the site is expected to commence in
H2 2025.
Health, Safety and Environment
Delivering high quality health,
safety and environmental ("HSE") standards within the portfolio
continues to be the top priority. The portfolio asset managers
promote a strong safety culture through a pro-active approach,
utilising safety drills, training days and internal and external
audits, amongst other activities, which complement the core safety
frameworks. The Operations Manager continues to engage with the
asset managers to share best practice and lessons learned across
the portfolio.
During the first half of 2024,
across the portfolio there have been no HSE-reportable severe
accidents.
The standard of HSE reporting
remains high across the portfolio with good transparency and follow
up of incidents. There has been a continued focus on positive
leading indicators such as the number of independent and internal
safety audits and assurance reviews, hazard identifications and
safety walks.
TRIG continues to host a portfolio
HSE coordination group twice a year to foster relationships between
the various asset managers across the portfolio, share information
and discuss matters that have arisen on the portfolio and wider
industry.
Highlights of proactive measures taken in 2024
include:
· Project company director visits which have taken place or are
scheduled at sites across the portfolio, to ensure familiarity with
the sites and to engage with the local service providers on safety
and other key themes.
· A
large number of drills and exercises conducted across the
portfolio. This includes offshore rescue training at Merkur
offshore wind farm, vessel to turbine gangway failure training at
Gode offshore wind farm and a fire incident emergency drill at the
Cadiz solar projects. HSE awareness campaigns were run on a large
number of topics including livestock safety, winter weather
driving, working in hot weather and wildfire risk
awareness.
· A RES'
Global Safety Focus Event which took place in May 2024
incorporating some 4,500 colleagues from 24 countries all
undertaking a safety stand down day to focus on best-in-class
safety culture and performance.
· A
revised HSE assurance process launched by RES for TRIG projects
focusing on undertaking desk-based management system and site-based
inspections. The assurance process is built upon core ISO standards
and is overseen by the Operations Manager.
Enhancements
As Operations Manager, RES is
dedicated to enhancing portfolio performance, shareholder returns
and stakeholder value through both commercial and technical
initiatives. RES applies a structured framework to identify,
appraise and implement enhancements at both individual and
portfolio levels. Examples of the enhancements progressed during H1
2024 include:
Increasing revenues:
Blade
improvements to increase generation:
· The
installation of a package of aerodynamic improvements to multiple
turbines' blades at four sites in the GB and Northern Ireland wind
portfolio (100% owned with total site capacities of 66MW) is nearly
complete, after which the data collection period to validate the
energy uplift will commence prior to wider roll out.
· Installation is well progressed at two further joint venture
projects, with contracting underway at another two sites within a
separate joint venture portfolio (of which 56MW represents TRIG's
share), benefitting from RES' wider understanding and associated
research and development on TRIG sites.
· An
associated suite of parameter changes to the turbine controller are
underway or under consideration to maximise the additional energy
yield from the hardware upgrades installed on a trial site in the
GB region (48MW). Once the blade aerodynamics have been altered it
is beneficial to further optimise the way in which the blades are
operated. Validation of the performance will follow
thereafter.
· Blade
and associated software upgrades improved yield by up to 5% at the
initial trial site.
Wind turbine software
enhancements:
· The
wake steering and collective control trial at the Altahullion
onshore wind farm in Northern Ireland has been completed with
independent energy yield uplift analysis concluded over the winter
demonstrating an uplift of up to 1.3%. This enhancement is an
innovative retrofitted upgrade to increase production and reduces
turbine loads. Application across the wider portfolio is under
consideration.
· A
power curve upgrade package that optimises the pitch of the blades
at wind speeds below rated power has been deployed at Merkur
offshore wind farm following trials, expected to increase energy
yield by 0.7%. Validation has commenced to determine the final
energy yield uplift, on which payment is based. Contracting is well
progressed for the same upgrade at another offshore
project.
· Power
Curve 'Optipitch' upgrades have also been rolled out at Hornsea One
with an estimated 0.7% energy yield uplift. The project was also
successful in bidding to provide Electricity System Response (ESR)
services to National Grid ESO, due to commence in November
2025.
· A wake
steering system from a turbine manufacturer continues to be
progressed at two offshore wind farms, with negotiations underway
at a third.
Minimising lost
production:
· Blary
Hill shadow flicker validation is now complete, which will reduce
related curtailments.
· Ice-phobic blade waxing trial complete at Haut Languedoc.
Build-up of ice can require turbines to automatically stop, causing
production losses in winter.
· Additional revenue streams:
· A new
route to market agreement for the Cadiz solar sites has enabled
participation in the ancillary services market, which reduces the
likelihood of uncompensated curtailment.
· Ancillary services for the provision of grid balancing
services have been identified, with the installation of software to
facilitate the process contracted, in order to access a new revenue
stream at Ranasjö and Salsjö.
· Opportunities to provide grid-balancing ancillary services
have also been identified across the four southern French onshore
wind sites which are being developed for repowering, potentially
offering an alternate revenue stream for the remaining operating
life of these projects.
· Two GB
solar sites are in the process of either taking part in or
finalising terms to take part in a flexibility service offered by
local Distribution Network Operators.
· Hornsea One was successful in tendering for the provision of
Electricity System Restoration (formerly known as Black Start)
"Top-up" functionality to National Grid over a five-year contract
from November 2025.
Optimising operations:
· The
recently renewed operation and maintenance contracts at Altahullion
and Lendrum's Bridge onshore wind farms will be supplemented by
pairing with a comprehensive spares strategy to mitigate ongoing
challenges in the spares market for components of these older
turbines, facilitating a more efficient procurement
approach.
· GB
Solar inverter repowering studies are well progressed, which once
inverters have been replaced, will reduce operating costs, increase
availability and prolong the life of the sites.
· GB
Solar inverter software optimisation opportunities are also
currently being evaluated, to enable inverters to operate more
dynamically, particularly in hot weather, to avoid degradation and
trips due to excessive temperatures.
Directors' Statement of Responsibilities
We confirm that to the best of our
knowledge:
1. The condensed set of financial
statements has been prepared in accordance with IAS 34 Interim
Financial Reporting; and
2. The Chairman's Statement and the
Managers' Report meets the requirements of an Interim Managers'
Report, and includes a fair review of the information required
by
a. DTR 4.2.7R, being an indication
of important events during the first six months and description of
principal risks and uncertainties for the remaining six months of
the year; and
b. DTR 4.2.8R, being the disclosure
of related parties' transactions and changes therein.
By order of the Board
Richard Morse
Chair
8 August 2024
Publication of documentation
The above information is an extract
from TRIG's 2024 Interim Report. The Interim Report has been
submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be
available for inspection at: https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism.
It can also be obtained from the Company Secretary or from the
Reports & Publications section of the Company's website,
at https://www.trig-ltd.com/.