Hunt utility REIT goes public, ready to expand

Market: Electricity
29/01/15

The first US real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on electric industry infrastructure has raised its profile with an initial public offering and an ambitious plan to expand with new transmission projects in Texas and the southwest US.

InfraREIT plans to raise about $400mn by issuing 20mn shares of common stock this week. Hunt Utilities, an affiliate of Dallas-based holding company Hunt Consolidated that is controlled by the family of oilman Ray Hunt, manages InfraREIT. Proceeds will be used to reduce existing debt.

Created in 2010, InfraREIT owns 620 miles (998km) of transmission, 10,500 miles of distribution lines and a 300MW direct-current line between Texas and Mexico — all leased to Sharyland Utilities. Sharyland, a regulated power delivery utility created in the late 1990s by Hunt family member Hunter Hunt to serve the Texas-Mexico border area, collects revenue from power retailers under rates set by Texas regulators.

InfraREIT's rate base reached $1.1bn in 2014.

Sharyland's payments to InfraREIT consist of a fixed-base rent and a percentage of the utility's gross revenue.

Under the REIT structure, the company will distribute a majority of its cash through cash dividends, according to a regulatory filing.

InfraREIT chief executive David Campbell joined the company in August after nearly eight years at TXU, Texas' largest transmission and generation company followed by two years at the investment company founded by C. John Wilder, the controversial TXU chairman who sold the company to private equity firms in 2007.

Former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chairman Pat Wood advised Sharyland as it competed to build transmission to serve wind farms in the Texas panhandle.

InfraREIT said it will grow through its existing transmission network and through acquisition of new assets from Hunt Consolidated, Sharyland and third parties.

InfraREIT said it will focus on Texas and the southwest US, areas where "we believe the electric transmission sector will continue to grow significantly."

An agreement with Sharyland and Hunt gives InfraREIT exclusive rights to fund development and construction of four grid projects with a total expected price tag exceeding $1bn. The projects include a 50-mile segment of the Cross Valley 345kV transmission line under construction in south Texas, a 55-mile line in north Texas and two projects in New Mexico.

Hunt and Sharyland have other projects that InfraREIT hopes to buy if the proposals advance and the parties can negotiate terms, the company said.

In other situations, InfraREIT may find itself competing against Sharyland to acquire or build new transmission.

Hunt Consolidated has bid for a stake in Oncor, the former TXU transmission unit that is now majority-owned by the bankrupt Energy Future Holdings.

InfraREIT warned potential investors that falling oil prices could hurt its plans by limiting power demand growth across Texas and reducing the need for new transmission. The filing also cites potential conflict of interest situations due to the intertwined roles of Hunt family members and management with InfraREIT.

eog/ee

Send comments to feedback@argusmedia.com

Request more information about Argus' energy and commodity news, data and analysis services.

Related news posts

Argus illuminates the markets by putting a lens on the areas that matter most to you. The market news and commentary we publish reveals vital insights that enable you to make stronger, well-informed decisions. Explore a selection of news stories related to this one.

News

30/04/25

Brazil's energy transition spending drops in 2024

Sao Paulo, 30 April (Argus) — Brazil's mines and energy ministry's (MME) energy transition spending shrank by 83pc in 2024 from the prior year, while resources for fossil fuel incentives remained unchanged, according to the institute of socioeconomic studies Inesc. The MME's energy transition budget was R141,413 ($24,980) in 2024, down from R835,237 in the year prior. MME had only two energy transition-oriented projects under its umbrella last year: biofuels industry studies and renewable power incentives, which represented a combined 0.002pc of its total R7bn budget. Still, despite available resources, MME did not approve any projects for renewable power incentives. It also only used 50pc of its budget for biofuel studies, Inesc said. Even as supply from non-conventional power sources advances , most spending in Brazil's grid revamp — including enhancements to better integrate solar and wind generation — comes from charges paid by consumers through power tariffs, Inesc said. Diverging energy spending Brazil's federal government also cut its energy transition budget for 2025 by 17pc from last year and created a new energy transition program that also pushes for increased fossil fuel usage. The country's energy transition budget for 2025 is R3.64bn, down from R4.44bn in 2024. The new program — also under MME's umbrella — has a budget of around R10mn, with more than half of it destined to studies related to the oil and natural gas industry, Inesc said. A second MME program — which invests in studies in the oil, natural gas, products and biofuels sectors — has an approved budget of R53.1mn. The science and technology ministry is the only in Brazil that increased its energy transition spending for 2025, with R3.03bn approved, a near threefold hike from R800mn in 2024. Spending will focus on the domestic industry sector's energy transition, Inesc said. Despite hosting the UN Cop 30 summit in November, Brazil has constantly neglected to address the phase-out of fossil fuels, drawing the ire of climate activists . By Maria Frazatto Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Find out more

News

Nemos commit to 15-minute settlement in power SDAC

30/04/25

News

30/04/25

Nemos commit to 15-minute settlement in power SDAC

London, 30 April (Argus) — Eleven nominated electricity market operators (Nemos) have confirmed their "readiness and commitment" to proceed with a 15-minute settlement in the single day-ahead coupling (SDAC) market on 11 June, according to a statement given to Argus . The co-signing Nemos — Oslo-based Nord Pool, Czech OTE, Austrian EXAA, Greek Enex, Italy's GME, Spain's Omie, Bulgarian Ibex, Poland's TGE, Slovakian Okte, Croatia's Cropex and Romanian BRM — confirmed that they "do not share the misgivings" about the 15-minute settlement transition expressed by European power exchange Epex Spot earlier this month , the Nemos told Argus . Nord Pool previously told Argus on 17 April that it was "confident and ready" to deliver 15-minute trading. The market operators do "not recognise" the problems cited by Epex and are sure that the "necessary infrastructure and processes" are in place to implement the move on time successfully. Instead, the co-signed Nemos stressed that the transition is a "pivotal advancement" and any delay risks "hinder[ing] progress" towards a better-integrated market. Specifically, the signatories clarified that the decoupling registered in some tests and cited by Epex Spot was not "due to a lack of reliability" in the system. Instead, they attributed this to "internal local testing issues of certain parties in the initial [testing] stage". The Nemos added that all performance tests of the central matching algorithm (Euphemia) were "successfully completed and validated by all parties, including Epex Spot". The co-signed Nemos noted that most test scenarios, "both functional and procedural", were "successfully completed and validated", adding that any reference to the implicit intraday auction (IDA) decoupling scenario is "misleading and inappropriate" as these were "caused by local issues" and the "time allocated to IDA executions" is less than 25pc of the "overall time available for SDAC". By Daniel Craig Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

France to review role of renewables in energy plan

30/04/25

News

30/04/25

France to review role of renewables in energy plan

London, 30 April (Argus) — The French government will delay the publication of its 10-year energy plan (PPE), and could change its content to take into account criticism that it gives too much priority to renewables, after a debate in the French parliament earlier this week. Prime minister Francois Bayrou on 28 April held a parliamentary debate on the much-delayed plan, which was initially due to come out in 2023. Publication appeared imminent last month, but revolts in the parliament — in which the prime minister does not have a majority — have forced the government to reconsider. The government will take its decisions "in some months", Bayrou told the parliament. "This PPE is not written in advance and everyone will be able to contribute before the final version," he said, opening the door to a rewrite of the plan, which committed to large increases in wind and solar photovoltaic capacity. A commission will deliver a report at the end of May, to be followed by a parliamentary debate on a version of the plan authored by senator Daniel Gremillet in June. The government's support for renewable energy will be "reasoned", he said, suggesting there could be a scaling back of wind and solar ambition. Bayrou highlighted the problems of solar energy, including that its peak output does not correspond to peak demand periods. To solve this problem, France must make its demand more flexible — including through the upcoming reform of tariffs, which will offer lower prices to some customers in the middle of the day — and through developing storage, he said. But the question of cost remains. Roof-mounted installations in France — the sector which has advanced the fastest over the past year — produce at a cost of €100/MWh, he said, compared with €40/MWh at large ground-mounted plants in Spain. But the public acceptability of covering large areas of countryside with low-cost solar farms remains a question, he said. And the development of onshore wind must be "reasonable", as public acceptability of the technology diminishes as the number of installations increase, Bayrou said. France must focus on repowering existing sites, he added. And the government firmly supports extending the lifespan of existing nuclear plants, and building at least six more reactors to enter service from 2038, Bayrou said. Right-wing Rassemblement National (RN) called for an increase in nuclear ambition, demanding the construction of 10GW of new nuclear by 2035, upratings at existing reactors and increasing the load factor of the fleet to 80pc. This would put France on the road to increasing its energy mix to 60pc low carbon by then, up from 37pc now, RN deputy Maxime Amblard said. But this would be accompanied by a moratorium on intermittent renewables, especially on wind farms, he said. The centre-left socialists called for the publication of the PPE as is, while left-wing LFI and green parties criticised what they characterised as a lack of ambition on emissions reduction and too heavy a reliance on nuclear. By Rhys Talbot Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

Norway's Equinor sees minor fall in 1Q output, profit

30/04/25

News

30/04/25

Norway's Equinor sees minor fall in 1Q output, profit

London, 30 April (Argus) — Norwegian state-controlled Equinor posted a profit of $2.63bn in the first quarter — a decline of 2pc on the year — as production dropped slightly and it reported lower liquids prices. Although its profit fell compared with a "strong" first quarter of 2024, it was an increase of nearly a one third from the fourth quarter of 2024. Equinor's production was 2.12mn b/d of oil equivalent (boe/d) in the January-March period, lower on the year by 2pc. "The production decrease was similar for both gas and liquids," the company said. It cited "strong" operational performance for most of its Norwegian fields, which it said "almost offsets the negative production impact from the shut-in at Sleipner B… and planned and unplanned maintenance at Hammerfest LNG." The Sleipner B platform was shut down in October after a fire . Equinor's US production rose on the year, while its output from international assets fell over the same timeframe owing to its exits from Nigeria and Azerbaijan in 2024. Equinor reported an average liquids price of $70.6/bl in the January-March quarter, down by 7pc on the year. Its realised piped gas prices rose considerably over the same time, to $14.80/mn Btu for Europe and $4.06/mn Btu for the US — increases of 57pc and 74pc, respectively. The company's total first-quarter power generation increased by 9pc on the year, to 1.4TWh, driven by "stronger clean spark spreads in gas to power generation and onshore assets in Brazil." But the renewables share of this slid by 2pc over the same period, to 760,000GWh because of "unfavourable wind conditions." Equinor is considering its legal options with regards to its US Empire Wind project, chief executive Anders Opedal said today. The US government in April ordered work to stop on the planned 810MW wind farm, offshore New York. "We have invested in Empire Wind after obtaining all necessary approvals, and the order to halt work now is unprecedented and in our view unlawful," Odepal said. "This is a question of the rights and obligations granted under legally issued permits, and security of investments based on valid approvals." The company reported a marginal decline in its upstream CO2 intensity in the first quarter 6.1kg CO2/bl, compared with 6.2kg CO2/bl for full-year 2024. There was a similar drop in absolute scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions — at 2.7mn t/CO2 equivalent (CO2e) for the first quarter, compared with 2.9mn t/CO2e a year earlier. Equinor confirmed a cash dividend of $0.37/share for the first quarter and plans to launch a second tranche of its share buyback programme of up to $1.265bn, subject to authorisation at its annual general meeting in May. The first tranche of this year's buyback programme was completed on 24 March with a total value of $1.2bn. By Georgia Gratton Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

Indonesia secures $60mn JETP funding for solar power

30/04/25

News

30/04/25

Indonesia secures $60mn JETP funding for solar power

Singapore, 30 April (Argus) — State-owned PLN Indonesia Power (PLN IP) and Saudi-listed Acwa Power will receive $60mn in funding from the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) to develop a solar project in Indonesia, indicating there is still interest in financing the country's energy transition. The 92MW peak (MWp) Saguling floating solar project in west Java will receive the funds from German development finance institution DEG, French development finance institution Proparco and Standard Chartered bank, announced the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) on 29 April. PLN IP and Acwa Power signed a power purchase agreement in August 2024 to jointly develop the solar project. The $60mn for the project is in addition to $1.2bn which Indonesia has already secured under the JETP. Indonesia joined the JETP in 2022 and is supposed to receive $20bn through the scheme from international partners including GFANZ, to help its coal phase-out. US president Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the JETP raised concerns earlier in 2025 on whether Indonesia could stick to its energy transition policies. But the US' withdrawal may not necessarily have a major impact on JETP funding. The latest investment "points to appetite from both public and private sectors to finance the country's green energy transition," said GFANZ. France has already mobilised over €450mn ($511mn) for Indonesia's energy transition through the JETP, according to the ambassador of France to Indonesia, Fabien Penone. PLN IP, a sub-holding of state-owned electricity company PLN Persero, is the largest power generation company in southeast Asia. Indonesia's electricity demand is expected to grow by about 3.8pc/yr to 1,813TWh/yr by 2060, but its power sector is still heavily reliant on coal, which made up 61.8pc of the electricity mix in 2023. In comparison, renewables made up 19pc, out of which solar and wind power constituted a mere 0.2pc. Indonesia has large solar potential of up to 3,295GW, said PLN IP's president director Edwin Nugraha Putra. The Saguling solar project, which is expected to reduce carbon emissions in Indonesia's power system by at least 63,100 t/yr, will also increase the share of solar in Indonesia's electricity production by around 13pc, according to GFANZ. The share of renewables in Indonesia's power mix is expected to rise to around 21pc by 2030 and 41pc by 2040, according to think-tank Ember. By Prethika Nair Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Business intelligence reports

Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.

Learn more