There’s a synergy created from our cross-sector understanding but also the depth of our networks and relationships. Our 20 year history enables us to leverage our insights, track record and relationships to bring a superior level of analysis to the countries where we operate and the people we engage with.
An example of this is South Korea, where our real estate team has been developing and operating a variety of assets over the last decade. We recently launched a renewable energy business there, as part of our Asia Climate strategy. The local real estate team was able to offer support with land use, permits and construction processes as well insights into South Korean culture and local market introductions to enable the launch. Further, much of the renewable opportunity is connected to real estate owners buying power. The ability to draw on the expertise of our energy teams from Asia, working together with our local real estate team is invaluable.
Similarly in real estate, last year we exited an industrial park development in Vietnam. Critical to its success was our operating partner and occupiers, who were attracted to Actis by the strategic value we brought in both real estate and renewable energy.
Another example is Emicool, a leading district cooling provider in the Gulf region. Emicool is collaborating with another Actis portfolio company, Yellow Door Energy, a leading solar business in the region on renewable power for its plants. Emicool’s main input costs are electricity and water. Improving electrical efficiency is a crucial driver of both financial returns and our sustainability agenda. Here, we can leverage our experience in both energy and infrastructure operations. Over time, we hope to use our growing expertise in cooling to support our data centre infrastructure globally.