The major French investor Ardian is significantly reinforcing its presence in Germany. According to the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”, the investor is making an infrastructure investment in a wind farm project in Saxony through its dedicated fund, ACEEF.
Under this initiative, ACEEF has partnered with 3Energy, a local Saxon wind farm developer. Ardian has secured a 100% stake in the entire project scope, including necessary land rights, permits, and various critical contracts. A formal agreement is expected shortly. The wind farms, which will be situated in the districts of Zwickau, Mittelsachsen, and Nordsachsen, are targeted to achieve a total installed capacity of 132 megawatts. The first of the four planned sites is scheduled for construction this year.
Beyond this sector, Ardian is deeply focusing on Germany via its new European Private Equity fund, which is earmarked for a buyout fund. The French consortium is currently raising capital for this venture, expecting a volume comparable to its predecessor fund, Fund VII, which amounted to 6.5 billion euros. According to Jan Philipp Schmitz, a board member and Ardian’s head in Germany, the group plans to increase its commitment in Germany relative to Fund VII, stating, “That is our absolute goal”. Specific targets are set at 10 to 20 percent. While approximately one-third of the fund’s capital is reserved for France, Schmitz expects that, on average, the fund will provide €400 to €500 million in equity capital per transaction, for a corresponding enterprise value that is double that amount.
Schmitz noted that while the group had somewhat pulled back on direct investments in Germany over the past two to three years, this hesitation did not apply to standard private equity transactions. He emphasized that the German private credit market, in particular, has been one of the most active for the firm. Though Ardian was originally established from the insurance company Axa’s Private Equity division, giving it a historical focus on corporate holdings, the company has since expanded into several other fields, including infrastructure, real estate investments, private loans, and investments in external private equity funds.
Despite these strategic diversifications, Ardian stressed that Germany remains critically important. Schmitz stated, “We have 80 people here-the German market is super important for Ardian, and it has been for 25 years”. The firm remains fully committed to developing and expanding its footprint within the German market.
