(Bloomberg) —
Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. aims to raise about $20 billion for its second fund dedicated to investing in the global transition to clean energy from fossil fuels, according to people familiar with the matter.
Fundraising is expected to start by midyear, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are confidential, and the firm may eventually gather as much as $25 billion for the pool depending on investor demand. A representative for the Toronto-based firm declined to comment.
Brookfield’s plans deepen its low-carbon bet after raising $15 billion for its first Brookfield Global Transition Fund, overseen by former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney and Connor Teskey, chief executive officer of Brookfield Renewable. Green-focused investors see renewable-energy firms as poised to surge amid turmoil in global energy markets after Russia invaded Ukraine and a rush to meet commitments to limit climate change.
Smart money is following “an absolute wall of opportunity” in the energy sector, Carney said in a recent interview with Bloomberg.
Brookfield’s renewable-energy strategy includes investing in businesses that want to decarbonize but lack the capital or operational expertise to do so. The world’s second-largest alternative asset manager teamed up with EIG Global Energy Partners for a potential takeover of Origin Energy Ltd., owner of Australia’s biggest coal plant.
The plans for Origin include investments of A$20 billion ($13.5 billion) by 2030 to boost renewable generation capacity and energy storage, Stewart Upson, Brookfield’s chief executive officer for Asia-Pacific, said last week.
Read more: Brookfield Has $90 Billion for Deals After Fundraising Boom
Brookfield’s existing transition fund invests in wind and solar energy, battery storage, carbon capture and nuclear power. Last year, the firm teamed up with Uranium miner Cameco Corp. to buy nuclear-power giant Westinghouse Electric.
The world will need more renewable energy sources in order to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 to head off the most catastrophic effects of climate change.
Shares of Brookfield slid 1.3% to $33.50 at 2:20 p.m. in New York, paring their gain this year to 17%.
(Updates with share price in final paragraph.)
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