The Infrastructure Investor Podcast

On the cusp of an infra ‘supercycle’

This episode is sponsored by Ridgewood Infrastructure and I Squared Capital  

The need for new infrastructure in markets like the United States is immense, and private capital has a big role to play in making it happen. The mid-market may be especially well-positioned to offer that institutional capital a share in the growth potential of the mega-trends shaping the future of global infrastructure. So in this episode, attention turns to this segment of the market.

Gautam Bhandari, co-founder and managing partner of I Squared Capital, and Ross Posner, managing partner of Ridgewood Infrastructure, share their insights on how the mid-market has evolved to date, how well it’s stood up in difficult macroeconomic conditions, where to look for those growth opportunities, and why the sector is primed to benefit from a predicted infra supercycle.

Addressing the global energy ‘trilemma’

This episode is sponsored by Eurazeo and Actis

Renewable energy is being deployed rapidly around the world, and various green industries are cropping up to take advantage of cleaner and cheaper power. The rollout of renewables is shaping new economic realities, as industries increasingly look to tap into greener sources of power. Many parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa are poised to benefit. Europe, meanwhile, faces a challenge in sustaining its remaining industrial strength as it battles with high power prices.

In this episode, Laurent Chatelin, a partner in the infrastructure investment team at Eurazeo, and James Mittell, director for energy infrastructure at Actis, talk with Ben Payton about the global challenge of providing energy security and affordability. While they both see opportunities and challenges ahead, one thing is clear: for the energy transition, there is no turning back.

Please note that the views and opinions stated on this podcast represent those of the individuals making such remarks and are not necessarily representative of the views and opinions held by their firms.

What’s next for infrastructure fundraising?

In this episode, Infrastructure Investor senior editor Bruno Alves, deputy editor Kalliope Gourntis and Americas editor Zak Bentley take a deep dive into the infrastructure fundraising market.

After two years of contracting totals, fundraising for unlisted, closed-end vehicles hit a low point in 2024. With circa $92 billion raised, last year’s tally was the lowest since 2015 – and the first time in nearly a decade that fundraising totals have dipped below $100 billion.

We discuss when the market can expect a recovery in fundraising, the ever-larger amounts of time spent on the road by managers to raise funds, and what a sustainable return to health could look like.

Read more: Full year fundraising fully disappoints

The energy transition’s next era

This episode is sponsored by Nuveen and Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners

The state of renewable energy is a series of contradictions. On the one hand, solar panels are cheaper, but they may not stay that way with the threat of tariffs from the incoming Trump Administration. Distributed energy and behind-the-meter power generation are promising, but there are persistent structural obstacles, especially around microgrids. Meanwhile, AI projects require more and more energy while so many grids are already struggling to meet current needs.  

So what does this mean for energy investors today? Will the Trump Administration curb progress on renewables in favour of fossil fuels, or will energy demands boost every alternative available? Where are the opportunities worth pursuing and what technologies are living up to their promise?

In this episode, we’ll discuss these questions and more with Don Dimitrievich, the senior managing director and portfolio manager for energy infrastructure credit at Nuveen, and David Scaysbrook, a co-founder and managing partner of Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners.

Brookfield: ‘We can play in scale, even on day one’

In this episode, Infrastructure Investor senior editor Bruno Alves sits down with Hadley Peer Marshall, Brookfield Asset Management’s chief financial officer and co-head of infrastructure debt and structured solutions.

Given Brookfield manages some of the asset class’s biggest strategies across core equity, pure-play infrastructure debt and energy transition, scale is a big part of the discussion, which also covers Brookfield’s corporate tie-ups with the likes of Microsoft and Intel, its preconditions for launching new strategies, as well as the opportunity in the ever-expanding infrastructure debt market.

Is America’s energy transition safe in Trump’s hands?

This episode is sponsored by Nuveen and Igneo Infrastructure Partners

With the American electorate recently handing the White House back to Donald Trump, it seems like an opportune time for Infrastructure Investor to unpack what it could all mean for the infrastructure asset class – in particular, the US commitment to renewables and the energy transition. Trump is, after all, the man who previously removed the world’s largest economy from the Paris Climate Accord and has since sounded less than supportive of President Biden’s initiatives to stimulate the economy and create jobs through a series of infra-led federal legislation.

So, is the Inflation Reduction Act in danger of being repealed? Does global capital have cause to be jittery? Or is the case for renewables infrastructure now simply too strong for even a sceptical Trump-led administration to deny.

Helping us to address these questions and concerns are John Ma, a partner and co-head of Igneo Infrastructure Partners’ North America team, and Don Dimitrievich, the senior managing director and portfolio manager for energy infrastructure credit at Nuveen.

Macquarie: ‘Investors wonder whether there is truly an ability to achieve a higher risk premium in Asia’

In this episode, senior editor Bruno Alves sits down with Verena Lim, CEO of Macquarie Group Asia, co-head of Asia-Pacific for Macquarie Asset Management Infrastructure, and head of investments for the Macquarie Asia-Pacific Infrastructure Fund series.

What follows is a wide-ranging discussion on Asia-Pacific infrastructure investing, taking in accelerating LP interest in the region, how Asia compares to the US and Europe as an investment destination, the need for discipline when investing in diverse markets, perceived versus actual risks, and, of course, Macquarie’s highly profitable exit from pan-Asian data centre business AirTrunk.

How the II 100 has changed over the past decade

In this episode, senior editor Bruno Alves, deputy editor Kalliope Gourntis and Americas editor Zak Bentley look back on how our Infrastructure Investor 100 ranking of the largest infrastructure managers has changed over the past decade, following publication of the latest edition earlier this month.

Comparing the 2024 edition to the 2014 one reveals a plethora of changes, including the ranking’s sevenfold growth, the rise of specialist strategies, the remarkable growth of some of the managers on it, the disappearance of about a third of the managers that used to feature on the ranking, and much more.

Click here to see the full 2024 Infrastructure Investor 100 ranking