Staff Writer

The prospect for infrastructure investment in Australia is a story in three parts – resources, general urban development and, potentially, agribusiness, suggests Brian McDonald.

A Baltimore-based investment firm has raised $180 million to invest in wetlands restoration, a niche strategy that combines conservation with mid-teen return expectations.

Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s, The Duchy of Cornwall, the Rothschild family and various Middle Eastern and Asian investors are among those to have come together to provide £65m in finance for Tamar Energy, a UK start-up business that will develop a network of over 40 anaerobic digestion plants.

UK finance development institution CDC has committed $20m to one of the largest agri-business private equity funds in Africa. CDC hopes the move stimulates fundraising in the sector.

The state’s $15bn oil and gas endowment has established a 10% real return allocation, which could include investments in timber and infrastructure, and has begun to look for an investment officer to direct the real return group.

The US firm has made its first investment in Australia, backing Victoria-based fruit and vegetables producer The Costa Group.

The Canadian fund manager has committed a $10m loan to the Jordan-India Fertilizer Company to finance construction of a new $186m plant in Jordan that will produce fertilizer for the Indian market.

The US government’s development finance institution has provided commitments in the form of senior loans to five funds that focus on agriculture in Africa and renewable energies in Asia.

Sierra Leone is forecast to become a “renewable energy hub” in Africa as seven organisations sign up to €133m of debt financing for an integrated renewable energy and agriculture project.

A New York investment firm is busy educating investors on the opportunity in water. Alexandra Atiya meets its co-founders to find out more.