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CFI.co Summer 2023

Page 80

> Hydro, Hydro, and Off to Work

Go Your Euros — RENAIO Has Its Game Plan All Worked Out Unique combination of technology and sustainable asset management.

H

ydropower is key to accelerating and diversifying the global energy transition — and RENAIO Assets, founded in 2019, has embraced that trend.

Today it is a leading asset manager for hydropower in Europe. RENAIO focuses on financing infrastructure projects, and optimises and operates hydro-powerplants with its own technicians. And with great success. The company started out just four years ago, with an unusual approach for an asset manager. RENAIO is not only focused on identifying attractive investment opportunities in sustainable energy production, but its team also includes engineers and hydropower specialists. They ensure, that facilities within the portfolio operate optimally and efficiently. It has developed its own servicing and control software called the RENAIO Monitor to achieve these goals. The software allows technicians to

perform "predictive maintenance". Computeroptimised service plans with real data-recording significantly reduce downtime and maintenance schedules for turbines and other highmaintenance parts. RENAIO has been awarded the ISO 9001:2015 quality management certificate for the area of "purchase with technical takeover and operation of power plants". To ensure the best support and efficiency, RENAIO co-operates with local companies for care and inspections, and has maintenance contracts with turbine manufacturers and the designers of hydropower plants. RENAIO’s predictive maintenance management together with technical improvements can transform low-performing hydropower plants into high efficiency ones. By optimising the plants, efficiency can be increased by up to 20 percent. In contrast to traditional asset management companies, RENAIO covers the entire value

chain: Purchasing, commercial-, technical-, and risk management, investment consulting, and sales. Group managing director Oliver Platsch explains the underlying philosophy: "By offering our particularly green fund, we wanted to show that power generation does not necessarily have a negative impact on the environment. It creates a profitable offer for Investors who value highly sustainable investments. That's why we focus exclusively on investments in renewable energy projects." Hydropower offers several benefits: Electricity generated this way represents the only baseloadcapable power of all renewable energies. There are currently more than 157 gigawatts of installed hydroelectric capacity across the EU, and some 10,000 plants in the Alpine region alone. These are “technically mature” and cost- effective to operate. The plants allow for more than 5,500 operating hours per year — and hydropower boasts the highest efficiency among all sources of power generation: more than 90 percent. Nuclear power

Management

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