Fortis tops league table in clean energy lending (20/06)

Clean energy league tables 2006 by New Energy Finance Limited

Fortis came top of the league for its syndicated financing of clean energy projects in 2006, with a total of USD 1.4 billion financing 12 projects. Fortis also moved up the league of ‘lead arrangers' – coming in at number 13 for 2006.

Frans Van Lanschot, CEO of Fortis Energy, Commodities and Transportation department said: “Fortis's meteoric rise up the clean energy league tables demonstrates the company's dedication to sustainability. Clean energy is a Fortis speciality, and we are fully committed to expanding our financing in this field.”

The ‘Clean Energy League Tables' are drawn up by New Energy Finance Ltd – a specialist provider of information and research to investors in renewable energy, low carbon technology and carbon emission credits. The 2006 league tables cite Fortis as the “clear leader in the space” for syndicated lending for project finance.

Projects financed

The clean energy projects financed by Fortis in 2006 include among others, wind farms in the US, UK, Italy and Spain, landfill gas and waste projects in the UK, and a biomass project in the UK.

Fortis' solid clean energy credentials

As part of a far-reaching corporate social responsibility programme, Fortis is fully committed to caring for the environment. Since January 2007, Fortis has been carbon-neutral across the globe. This involves saving energy, buying green electricity and offsetting any residual CO² emissions. Fortis is furthermore fully committed to carbon banking operations – a field where we are already a leader. Fortis also offers a wide range of sustainable products - from ‘clean car' insurance and cheaper loans for less-polluting vehicles, to sustainable investment funds. Moreover, Fortis Investments has developed a website devoted to sustainable development allowing you, among other things, to calculate your own ecological footprint: http://www.footprint.fortis.com