Ardian, the independent private investment company, has signed an agreement for the sale of a €1 billion ($1.17 billion) portfolio of assets after a competitive auction. The investors involved are APG and AXA, both existing shareholders of the portfolio since 2006. Ardian will remain the asset manager and adviser of the portfolio.
The portfolio comes from Ardian’s second-generation infrastructure fund, which closed in 2007 and consists of eight mature core infrastructure assets that are well diversified in terms of geography and sectors. The transaction follows Ardian’s commitment when the fund was launched, to explore liquidity options for investors after the 10-year mark.
The infrastructure portfolio includes relevant involvement in multiple strategic assets: Italian gas distribution company 2i Rete Gas, French LGV Lisea, Spanish toll road Trados M-45, French rail GSM communications’ network Synerail, French renewable energy company Kallista Energy, Italian r