International private equity firm Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners has announced a phased investment of up to £100 million in Wakefield-based Aegis Energy, which is building a network of clean energy hubs across the UK to help commercial vehicles decarbonise.
Quinbrook has secured a stake in the Wakefield firm and is targeting the £100 million deployment over the next three years to help the creation of clean, multi-energy refuelling hubs for commercial vehicles in the UK.
“This investment underwrites the construction of the first clean, multi-energy recharging and refuelling sites for commercial vehicles in the UK,” said Quinbrook.
“Aegis’ plans for a network of hubs aims to meet the needs of all truck and van operators transitioning to cleaner fuels, including electric, HVO, hydrogen and bio-CNG.”
An initial five-station network is planned to be completed by the end of 2027, with stations under development in Sheffield, Immingham, Warrington, Corby and Towcester.
Aegis Energy will begin construction on the first of these stations this year, which is scheduled to open in early 2026 and Aegis Energy plans to create a broader network of up to 30 hubs by the end of the decade.
Each hub will have the capacity to charge/fuel approximately 40+ heavy goods vehicles and 25+ vans simultaneously. Once ramped up, an average Aegis Energy site is expected to reduce carbon equivalent emissions by approximately 14,300 tonnes per annum.
The investment from Quinbrook represents the firm’s inaugural investment in sustainable transport, complementing the firm’s extensive portfolio of energy transition focused investments across the UK, US and Australia.
Christopher Thorneycroft-Smith, co-founder at Aegis Energy, said: “Aegis Energy was founded to help decarbonise the largest contributors to the most emitting sector in the UK.
“There is growing pressure from regulators and consumers for commercial vehicles to decarbonise, making it a necessity for winning new business and maintaining customer loyalty.
“The transition will take time and play out differently for each fleet, but by providing public hubs with multiple clean energy charging and refuelling options, we’re supporting operators to choose how they want to make the transition.
“Quinbrook’s funding will help us ensure that critical energy infrastructure is reliably available where our customers need it, and support millions of vehicles to make a once-in-a-multi-generational change.”
Rory Quinlan, co-founder and managing partner at Quinbrook, said: “The UK Government’s regulatory push to decarbonise the transit fleet creates meaningful opportunities for investment in companies like Aegis Energy that are pioneering this effort.
“While this represents Quinbrook’s first venture in sustainable transport, it is new and innovative energy transition infrastructure opportunities like Aegis that we are known for and that our investors are seeking exposure to.”
Keith Gains, Managing Director and UK Regional Lead for Quinbrook, said: “Quinbrook is uniquely placed to capitalise on emerging investment opportunities that drive impactful emissions reduction in hard-to-abate sectors like transport, and supporting innovators like Aegis that are creating new infrastructure investment models.
“Targets under the UK’s Zero Emission Vehicle mandate highlight the existing gaps in the infrastructure needed to provide accessible clean energy to transport fleets.
“This presents significant opportunities for Aegis Energy to build market-leading refuelling hubs and we look forward to supporting its growth and expansion throughout the country.”
Quinbrook was advised on the investment by Norton Rose Fulbright (legal), Arup (commercial and technical), PKF Francis Clark (financial and tax) and Locktons (insurance). Cameron Barney Herbst Hilgenfeldt (CBHH) was financial adviser to Aegis Energy alongside ERM (commercial) and Dentons (legal).