Cuatrecasas is leading voice at Infralogic Investors Forum – Spain 2022

A new event, Infralogic Investors Forum – Spain 2022, was held on Tuesday June 7. By organizing this event, Infralogic connects top-level representatives from the infrastructure sector, currently one of the most important sectors, with institutional investors, developers, fund managers and authorized advisors, while also analyzing market trends.

 

Well-known senior managers held an open debate where they discussed the hot topics marking the evolution of the infrastructure sector, as well as the short- and medium-term challenges and opportunities the sector is facing. Mar Beltrán, member of Globalvia’s board of directors, gave an opening presentation, providing an analysis of infrastructure investment in Spain. This was followed by a round table discussion made up of Esther Ayuso (EU & innovation director ar Roadis), Francisco Rocio (partner at TIIC), Manuel Pérez (head of infrastructure & energy at Santander Asset Management) and Mar Beltrán. They focused on the Iberian transport market: the brisk pace of M&A activity is generating projects and concessions that will lead to new challenges and opportunities in the coming years. They also discussed the inevitable impact of the macroeconomic environment on transactions. 

Later, there was a round table discussion on the energy transition, made up of Álvaro Sierra (CEO, UKA Iberia), Roger Font (global director of special projects, assets and business activities), Ignacio Inda (managing partner at WIF Capital) and Félix Plasencia (specialist in public, energy and infrastructure law; partner at Cuatrecasas). They discussed the paramount importance of an area that has a long way to go (considering current ESG policies, which have yet to reach maturity), and which is also very motivating for the Spanish economy, given the commitments to a future decarbonization and the increasing use of renewable energy. Félix Plasencia stated that “the participants’ contributions during the discussions contributed to a better understanding of the energy transition from a business perspective” and he highlighted that “this has been a dominant factor for business activity and will continue in this way in the coming years, during which we expect a significant increase in the investments associated with the decarbonization process and the electrification of the economy.” 

Also discussed was renewable energy, with the participation of Nicolò Castagna (head of infrastructure M&A Southern Europe at AON), José Luis Álvarez (director of Voltiq), Asís Echániz (head of Spain at EQT Partners), Pablo González (head of project finance energy Iberia at Santander) and Fernando Bernad (co-head of infrastructure and energy practice at Cuatrecasas).  They discussed the risks and benefits of renewable energy, the drivers behind the sector, the factors that make Spain one of the countries with the most capacity, the climate risk and the good expectations for a growing sector that offers great opportunities for the future. Fernando Bernad stated that: “The macroeconomic and geopolitical context could have a significant impact on the development of the renewable energy sector, in that, with stable prices, it could make viable technologies that had seemed less possible (hydrogen and hybrid technologies). It could also lead to a debate about other renewable energy sources (nuclear energy and fracking), particularly due to the need to reach certain autonomy in supply and price stability, in the context of the essential commitment to the energy transition and decarbonization

Towards the end of the discussions, there was a session on the digital transformation and the drive required by the economy in terms of innovation and digitalization, particularly to leave behind a crisis that has made clear the need for investment and a growing interest in a strong and well-regulated infrastructure system. Borja de Luis (head of European origination & execution EMEA, and infrastructure equity investment at UBS), Ivan Paja (CFO, Naibax), Pablo González Taberna (global head of project finance at BBVA) and Pablo Mayo (head of financial services M&A, EMEA, at Mergermarket) ended the debates by yet again discussing the strong position of the Iberian market in the infrastructure market.