(Wiesbaden, August 10, 2020) By issuing 200,000 new shares, ABO Wind has increased its equity by a further four million euros. The shares were offered to selected investors at a price of EUR 20.40 excluding subscription rights. The issued capital increase was oversubscribed. "The proceeds from the capital increase support our international growth," says Managing Director Dr. Karsten Schlageter, pleased with the investors' vote of confidence.
ABO Wind had already succeeded in increasing its equity from around 89 million euros to around 104 million euros in the previous business year. The company is continuing this strategy with its second capital increase in 2020. "A strong equity base increases our flexibility, enables us to seize opportunities, and accelerates the implementation of our projects," says Managing Director Dr. Schlageter. ABO Wind has grown strongly in recent years and is currently working in 16 countries on new wind and solar energy projects with a capacity of more than 12,000 megawatts.
Most of the new shares were subscribed to by two equity funds managed by the Belgian investment manager Capricorn Partners. "We invested in ABO Wind shares for the first time in January and have now invested in two further funds, mainly the Quest for Growth, which is listed on Euronext Brussels. We are convinced that ABO Wind has very good prospects as an experienced international developer of renewable energy projects," says Olaf Cörper, Partner and Co-Fund Manager.
The number of ABO Wind shares increases to 8,670,893 and the current market capitalization is a good 180 million euros. As the new shares are not yet entitled to participate in profits at the Annual General Meeting held on August 20, they will be given their own security identification number. After the Annual General Meeting, they will be treated equally as the existing shares and merged with them.
There are also encouraging news from the operational business: In recent weeks, ABO Wind secured a long-term feed-in tariff for two Irish wind farms with capacities of 16.8 and 10.8 megawatts as well as for five solar farms planned in north-western Greece, each with a capacity of ten megawatts. This means that more than one third of the contracts awarded in Greece went to ABO Wind. "The success shows that we have established a good market position in Greece and are developing and implementing projects at competitive prices," says Dr. Schlageter.
ABO Wind has been active in Greece since 2017 and has gained valuable experience with Kossos solar farn (7 megawatts, built in 2019) and Megala Kalyvia solar farm (38 megawatts) currently in the final stages of construction. ABO Wind acquired these two projects during development and then completed them. Regarding the five solar projects of the Margariti cluster (Epirus region) awarded a tariff in the tender, ABO Wind covers the entire value chain of development, engineering and construction. The five solar farms will feed the electricity into the public grid via a joint transformer station. Before construction can begin, however, several permits are to be obtained. Commissioning of the 50 megawatts is scheduled for the first half of 2022.
The two Irish projects – now equipped with tariffs – already have the necessary permits and are therefore ready for construction. Due to grid restraints, delivery and construction times, ABO Wind expects to commission the first wind farm at the end of next year and the second one in 2023. "ABO Wind has been active in the Republic of Ireland for more than ten years and, with around 100 megawatts of installed wind energy capacity, is one of the established project developers," says Managing Director Dr. Schlageter.
