March 27, 2025
In the Netherlands, an estimated financing gap of €30 billion threatens to slow down the energy transition. This ‘local funding gap’ makes it more difficult for Dutch projects to get off the ground. Local projects in particular are crucial for the next phase of the energy transition and can make the Netherlands less dependent on fossil fuels from abroad. Financing these projects requires expertise and flexible customization. That is why ASN Impact Investors, together with StartGreen Capital, developed a new investment strategy featuring three funds that bridge the gap between Dutch projects and professional investors through a single point of contact.
The rise of clean energy from sun and wind in the Netherlands has progressed so far that the sustainable transition is entering a new phase. The peaks and troughs in power supply and demand are causing grid congestion and local shortages of power connections. This must be resolved as quickly as possible. Only if the Netherlands utilizes its energy more efficiently and fully will sustainable energy independence come closer.
In the second phase of the energy transition, the way we use energy will be better aligned with supply, but this requires rapid investment in the right place at the right time. In the generation, distribution, and storage of energy, and in all new ways of energy use in mobility, production, and the built environment.
Local and regional energy projects play a key role. But it is precisely these projects, which scale up proven technologies, that face unmet financing needs. Due to this ‘local funding gap’, they find it harder to get off the ground, delaying the next phase of the energy transition. It is estimated that by 2030 alone, there will be an unmet financing need for these projects of approximately €30 billion.
A single point of contact with three funds as a bridge between projects and investors.
Financing the ‘local funding gap’ requires expertise and flexible customization. That is why ASN Impact Investors, together with StartGreen Capital, developed a Climate Impact Strategy. This offers projects a single point of contact to tailor financing to their specific business case. In turn, professional or institutional investors gain access to investments tailored to their own risk-return profile. Both parties can choose from the financing options of senior debt, junior debt, equity, or a combination of the three.
The Climate Impact Strategy creates a bridge between projects with strong investment cases and investors who want to benefit from and contribute to them. Examples include projects related to grid management, battery technology, and green hydrogen, as well as circular production, EV infrastructure, and the energy efficiency of buildings. Projects that make the energy infrastructure of the Netherlands CO2-neutral and energy-independent. Circular projects that reduce dependence on critical raw materials.
Climate Impact Equity fund open for applications. Junior debt and senior debt funds to follow later this year.
ASN Impact Investors and StartGreen Capital are rolling out the Climate Impact Strategy in phases. Today, ASN Impact Investors introduces the Climate Impact Equity fund. The Climate Impact funds for junior debt and senior debt will follow later this year. The goal of the strategy is to accelerate the second phase of the energy transition, scaling up proven innovations for this purpose, and thus growing to a size between €500 million and €1 billion.
Erhan Yildiz, Investment Director StartGreen Capital:
“The momentum for local projects is enormous. The Netherlands must become CO2-neutral as quickly as possible. We must also make the country less dependent on foreign fossil energy as soon as possible. The Dutch government and the European Commission are ambitious with measures to boost the development of and investment in essential energy technology. This creates many investment opportunities.”
Rosemarijn van der Meij, Strategy Manager at ASN Impact Investors:
“By offering flexibility in three different asset classes, we can help realize a large and diverse group of projects in the Netherlands while simultaneously appealing to a broad group of professional investors. We invest exclusively in proven technologies that are ready for scaling, often with predictable returns.”
About the ASN-SG Climate Impact Equity Fund.
The Climate Impact Equity Fund invests via shares and related equity instruments in local companies and projects with proven technologies that accelerate the energy transition and circular economy, thereby making the Netherlands less dependent on (fossil) energy and raw materials from abroad. The focus on equity offers project developers and entrepreneurs the space to deploy their own resources more efficiently and thus achieve larger-scale lasting impact.
More information about this fund can be found on the fund page.
Looking for investment/financing?
We explicitly invite project developers, entrepreneurs, and advisors active in the energy transition, clean industry, circular economy, sustainable construction, and mobility to contact us about the new financing opportunities arising from the collaboration with ASN Impact Investors.
Go to the fund page and discover the financing options.
Interested in investing in the ASN-SG Climate Impact Strategy?
You can find all the information you need on the ASN Impact Investors website.
