Investing in a leading US development platform

30 June 2021

Savion, LLC was formed in 2019 when Macquarie’s Green Investment Group (GIG) acquired the solar and energy storage unit of Tradewind Energy. Savion is now one of the largest utility-scale solar and energy storage project development companies in the United States, with a growing portfolio.

On 17 December 2021, the Savion business was sold to Shell New Energies US LLC. You can read more about that on the Savion website. GIG continues to invest in accelerating the transition through other projects and platforms in the US.

Key facts

15+ GW

solar and energy storage development pipeline

131

current projects in development or construction

27

US states with Savion projects in various stages

Opportunity

In key markets around the world we are building renewable energy development pipelines by acquiring and investing in development companies, forming joint ventures or developing projects directly.

Savion operates as a portfolio company of GIG, deploying its deep local expertise and strong development capabilities to build a leading solar and energy storage development platform in the US.

Across the US, the corporate renewable energy market is booming, as corporates increasingly adopt power purchase agreements (PPAs) to procure reliable and cost-effective renewable energy over the long term. In 2019, the Americas region signed PPAs totaling an unprecedented 15.7 GW of clean energy¹. The US accounted for the bulk of that at 13.6 GW, surpassing all global PPA activity in 2018¹.

Our in-house team of finance experts structure tailored PPA solutions around the world to match client needs, from a variety of sectors, all with unique energy goals. To date, we’ve supported 23 corporates with their transition, including structuring one of the worlds longest PPAs, as well as one of the world’s largest. Savion’s acquisition bolsters GIG’s successful track record in PPAs across the US market.

"We have strong conviction in the growth fundamentals of solar in the US over both the short and long term, given current low penetration rates, favorable solar resource and abundance of land, combined with the increasingly competitive cost of solar compared to alternative energy sources.

Our investment in Savion is the next step in driving utility-scale solar development and storage across the US, advancing GIG’s position as a leading global developer and investor in green energy projects."

Chris Archer
Head of GIG, Americas

Actions

With solar continuing to play a leading role in America’s energy transition, GIG acquired Savion in March 2019.

The acquisition secured an additional development pipeline of utility-solar and storage projects, and when combined with GIG’s global scale and capital capabilities, it set the stage for Savion’s continued growth across the country.

The addition of Savion to GIG’s leading renewables platform has helped to form a solar and storage strategy geared at US corporates and utilities, providing reliable and cost-competitive renewable power from newly developed solar projects through PPAs. With GIG’s international reach, strong investment pipeline and global procurement capabilities, Savion is well-positioned to operate at the core of America’s fast-growing renewable energy PPA market.

"Savion’s team has built a leading solar and storage development platform that is thriving today. With its recent growth, strong pipeline, and highly talented staff, Savion is well-positioned to have a significant presence in the US market, which is demonstrated by 1 GW of PPAs recently executed or in advanced negotiations over the last year. Savion’s 11 GW in solar and energy storage development pipeline is actively advancing projects to help decarbonize the nation’s electricity grid."

Nick Lincon
President of Savion

Impact

Savion now has more than 100 employees and 131 active projects across 27 states. It is actively advancing US utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage projects to help decarbonize the nation’s electricity grid and deploy modern power to diverse markets at lower cost to customers.

Most recently, Savion signed a 20 MW PPA with Dominion Energy Virginia for the Westmoreland County Solar Project. The $US 30 million solar facility is one of three projects developed by Savion that is expected to be constructed in Virginia within the next year, resulting in 115 MW of solar power and a total investment of approximately $US 150 million.

In June 2021, Savion sold the Wood County and Richland County Solar Projects to Alliant Energy. The combined solar energy installation will produce 200 MW of electricity, enough to power approximately 55,000 Wisconsin homes.

Savion now has a pipeline of over 11 GW of solar and energy storage developments and continues to build on its commitment to transform America’s electricity supply to renewable resources alongside GIG, which is accelerating America’s green transition every day.

Keep up to date with Savion's latest projects and information here.

Footnotes

1. BloombergNEF