EIF backs Europe’s green transition with €100 million for RIVE infrastructure fund

• EIF commits €100 million to RIVE Infrastructure Impact Fund.
• Pledge makes EIF lead investor in first round of commitments totalling €180 million.
• Through its RIIF fund, RIVE Private Investment supports European entrepreneurs in the energy transition.
• EIF commitment part of the REPowerEU programme and supported by InvestEU.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is providing €100 million support to the RIVE Infrastructure Impact Fund. The EIF pledge, backed by the InvestEU programme, is part of the first round of financial commitments to RIFF which is managed by RIVE Private Investment. This initial commitments also come from institutional investors and family offices and total €180 million.

The RIIF is dedicated exclusively to the energy transition in Europe. RIVE invests across the entire value chain, supporting entrepreneurs from all sectors of the energy transition including renewables, green gas, sustainable thermal energy, energy storage and transport infrastructure. RIVE provides capital to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to expand their asset base and achieve critical scale, setting them up to become future leaders in the energy transition.

The RIIF will support companies on environmental, social and governance (ESG) topics through initiatives such as a proprietary ESG Roadmap and tools. Classified Article 9 under the Sustainable Financial Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), aligned at 75% with the European Taxonomy, the RIIF aims to reduce Europe’s carbon footprint, provide green and affordable energy and promote job creation.

The EIF, part of the European Investment Bank (EIB), supports European SMEs by helping them access financing. The EIF commitment of €100 million to the RIIF falls under the Infrastructure Climate Fund and EIB, InvestEU and REPowerEU mandates, which contribute to mobilising private investments in favour of EU policy priorities including the Green Deal.

"The EIF’s exceptional contribution confirms the relevance of RIVE's positioning: investing in energy transition SMEs to finance their asset base and support their development towards industry leadership,” said Pierre du Passage, Partner at RIVE “We are convinced that decarbonising energy production and usage will come through building an economic fabric capable of addressing local needs and seizing emerging segment opportunities."

“Our participation in the RIVE Infrastructure Impact Fund reconfirms the EIF’s strong commitment to supporting investments in energy generation, low-carbon mobility infrastructure and electricity storage across Europe,” said EIF Chief Executive Marjut Falkstedt. “With the backing of the InvestEU programme, we are very glad to support this experienced team that will make tangible steps in driving the green transition.” 

Background information

About RIVE Private Investment

RIVE Private Investment is an independent European investment company, specialized in essential assets in the transport and energy sectors. Founded in 2013 by Yann Thomas and Etienne Mouthon, RIVE currently manages more than €850 million and has closed over 100 transactions. The RIVE team consists of 25 employees based in Paris, Luxembourg and Geneva.

Through its energy transition business line, RIVE invests across the entire energy value chain: renewables, green gas, sustainable thermal energy, energy efficiency, energy storage, and mobility infrastructure. RIVE's positioning reflects a concrete commitment to climate change mitigation and a desire for a positive impact on local communities. The team has financed more than 850 MW of capacity across Europe.

About the European Investment Fund

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is part of the European Investment Bank Group. Its central mission is to support Europe's micro, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) by helping them to access finance. The EIF designs and develops venture and growth capital, guarantees and micro-finance instruments that specifically target this market segment. In this role, it contributes to the achievement of key EU policy goals such as competitiveness and growth, innovation and digitalisation, social impact, skills and human capital, climate action and environmental sustainability.

About InvestEU

The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with crucial long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps mobilise private investments for the European Union’s policy priorities, such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. The InvestEU programme brings together under one roof the multitude of EU financial instruments currently available to support investment in the European Union, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is implemented through financial partners that will invest in projects using the EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. The entire budget guarantee will back the investment projects of the implementing partners, increase their risk-bearing capacity and thus mobilise at least €372 billion in additional investment.

Press contacts:

EIB: Christophe Alix – c.alix@eib.org - +33 (0)6 11 81 30 99 Website: www.eib.org/press — press@eib.org

Bénédicte Debusschere – b.debusschere@bcadvisory.fr  – +33 (0)6 48 56 70 71

Victoria Wojtczak – v.wojtczak@bcadvisory.fr  – +33 (0)6 79 75 01 66

European Commission: Ignazio Cocchiere - ignazio.cocchiere@ec.europa.eu - tel.: +32 2 298 39 51