The global south needs to build out vast amounts of clean energy, and requires hundreds of billions of dollars annually to do. And yet, only a fraction of the investment going into clean energy and the net-zero transition is flowing into those growth markets. So why are so few investing?

Lucy Heintz is partner and head of energy infrastructure at Actis, whose most recent Energy Fund represents over $6 billion of investable capital. She is a driving force behind the small slice of investment which does address clean energy in growth markets.

Lucy joins Cleaning Up to unpack Actis' approach to investing in critical clean energy infrastructure projects across the Global South. From assembling renewable energy platforms to managing foreign exchange risks, Lucy shares the strategies that have historically allowed Actis to succeed in markets that many consider to be too risky.

The Acronym Corner:

BII - British International Investment; the UK's development finance institution. https://www.bii.co.uk/en/
LP - Limited Partner, the capital provider for fund
DFI - Development Finance Institution, e.g. BII
DISCO - A distribution company, in places like India and Pakistan. Responsible for distributing energy from producers to consumers.
DNO - Similar to a DISCO but UK focused, a company licensed to distribute electricity.
PPA - Power Purchase Agreement — A long term contract between an electricity producer and a customer, that guarantees electricity be bought and sold at a pre-negotiated price for the period of the agreement.
MIGA - The World Bank's Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency. Its mandate is to promote cross-border investment in developing countries by providing guarantees (political risk insurance and credit enhancement) to investors and lenders. See: https://www.miga.org/about-us

Leadership Circle:

Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, Davidson Kempner, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.

Links and more:

Actis Energy Infrastructure Fund: https://www.act.is/about-us/sectors/energy/
Inside the World's Biggest Investor - Ep138: Carine Smith Ihenacho
The Bridgetown Initiator - Ep145: Prof Avinash Persaud
Enabling Africa's Green Energy Revolution - Ep120: Ana Hajduka
Actis 2024 highlights film:
Intro to Actis film:
IPE: Generating alpha returns in energy infrastructure
Infrastructure Investor: Shining a spotlight on emerging markets
New Private Markets, De-risking transition investments in emerging markets

Disclaimer:

The statements made by Actis executives are as at February 2025 and are not necessarily representative of the views of executives of portfolio companies in which Actis has invested, and Actis assumes no obligation to update the information herein. Please refer to the following link for further important information in relation to this podcast: https://www.cleaningup.live/a-clean-energy-playbook-for-the-global-south-ep196-lucy-heintz/

A Clean Energy Playbook For The Global South — Ep196: Lucy Heintz

Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change