Toronto,
Canada/Singapore (October 12, 2017) – Canada Pension Plan
Investment Board (CPPIB) has partnered with Alpha Investment Partners Limited
(Alpha) and Keppel Data Centres Holdings Pte. Ltd. (Keppel Data Centres), both
of which are part of the Keppel Group, for an initial allocation of up to US$350
million alongside the Alpha Data Centre Fund (ADCF), with the option to invest another
US$150 million.
CPPIB’s
latest commitment and option will bring the ADCF’s combined and co-investment
interest up to US$1 billion, double the Fund’s initial target size of
US$500 million. When fully leveraged and invested, the Fund will potentially
have assets under management of approximately US$2.3 billion.
ADCF aims
to develop a quality portfolio of new and existing data centre assets in Asia
Pacific and Europe, capitalizing on strong demand in this asset class in key
cities within these two regions. The Fund will leverage the broader Keppel
Group’s relationships with key industry occupiers and expertise across a range
of management, technical engineering and operational disciplines to deliver
energy efficient facilities.
Christina
Tan, CEO of Keppel Capital and Managing Director of Alpha, said, “The Alpha Data
Centre Fund is a prime example of how we can harness synergy and expertise
across the Keppel Group to create value and deliver enhanced returns to
investors. The strong interest garnered and successful closing of the Fund are testament
to Keppel’s ability to grow our capital platform with investments from quality global
institutional investors.”
The
ADCF was launched in July 2016 by Alpha, the private fund management arm of
Keppel Capital, amid strong interest from institutional investors for quality alternative
asset classes. The collaboration taps on Keppel Data
Centre’s experience in designing, building and managing data centres for more
than a decade. Keppel Data Centres is a
70-30 joint venture between Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation Ltd.
and Keppel Land Limited.
“The
continued strong growth in data requirements globally has driven demand for
quality data centre space, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region where
digital infrastructure is relatively under-developed,” said Jimmy Phua,
Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Investments Asia, CPPIB. “By
investing alongside the Alpha Data Centre Fund, CPPIB is able to gain exposure
into this critical sector, in partnership with the Keppel Group, a
well-respected partner, leveraging established relationships and broad
technical expertise with a focus on sustainability.”
In July
2017, ADCF acquired a 70% stake in the Keppel DC Singapore 4, a carrier-neutral
data centre which features approximately 182,000 sq. ft. of gross floor area. In
December 2016, ADCF announced its maiden acquisition of a 60% interest in
Keppel DC Frankfurt 1 in Germany, a two-storey facility located in close
proximity to the city centre and Frankfurt airport.
About Canada
Pension Plan Investment Board
Canada Pension Plan Investment
Board (CPPIB) is a professional investment management organization that invests
the funds not needed by the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) to pay current benefits
on behalf of 20 million contributors and beneficiaries. In order to build a
diversified portfolio of CPP assets, CPPIB invests in public equities, private
equities, real estate, infrastructure and fixed income instruments.
Headquartered in Toronto, with offices in Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg,
Mumbai, New York City, São Paulo and Sydney, CPPIB is governed and managed
independently of the Canada Pension Plan and at arm’s length from governments.
At June 30, 2017, the CPP Fund totalled C$326.5 billion.
For more information about CPPIB,
please visit www.cppib.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.
About Alpha Investment Partners
Alpha Investment Partners
(Alpha) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Capital, a premier asset manager
in Asia and the asset management arm of Keppel Corporation Limited.
Alpha has been adding value for
investors by constantly seeking innovative solutions throughout its investment
process since 2004.
A manager of both private and
public real estate funds, Alpha has an institutional investor base comprising
renowned pension plans, financial institutions, fund of funds, insurance
companies, endowments and family offices spanning Europe, North America, Asia
and the Middle East.
Its private closed-end real
estate funds are invested across the risk spectrum in the core, core-plus,
value-add and opportunistic space. Each fund has a specific lifespan and
strategy to leverage prevailing opportunities, as well as seek a blend of
income and capital returns according to its risk profile. Alpha also manages
the Alpha Real Estate Securities Fund, an open-ended fund that invests in
listed REITs and real estate securities predominantly in Asia.
About Keppel Data Centres
Keppel Data Centres Holding
Pte. Ltd. (Keppel Data Centres) is
the data centre division of
Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation (Keppel T&T). It has a track
record of more than a decade in owning, developing and managing high quality
carrier-neutral data centre facilities that support mission-critical computer
systems.
Keppel T&T is also the
sponsor of Keppel DC REIT, the first data centre Real Estate Investment Trust
(REIT) listed in Asia and on the Singapore Exchange. Together with assets owned
through Keppel DC REIT, Keppel T&T has a global portfolio of 18 data
centres located in key data centre hubs across Asia Pacific and Europe.
Article Contacts
Keppel Capital
Grace Chia
Head, Investor Relations &
Communications
Keppel Capital
T: +65 6803 1739
E: grace.chia@kepcapital.com
CPPIB
Dan Madge
Senior Manager, Media Relations
T: +1 416 868 8629
E: dmadge@cppib.com
Mei Mavin
Director, Global Corporate Communications
T: +44 203 205 3406
E: mmavin@cppib.com