The £40bn Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) has continued its infrastructure investing spree through the acquisition of a 49.9% interest in Airport Link Company (ALC).
The acquisition means USS is now a significant shareholder in ALC, which owns stations on Sydney’s underground Airport Line rail network, after adding to an existing stake in the company. The other shareholder is CP2, a Sydney-based infrastructure investment manager, who will provide ongoing asset management services.
ALC is a Sydney airport link company that operates the Green Square, Mascot, Airport Domestic and Airport International Train Stations. These stations are located in the nine kilometre Airport Line tunnel, which is 23 metres below the earth’s surface. This tunnel links Sydney Airport with Central Station, the Sydney Central Business District and 300 train stations in Greater Sydney and beyond.
The transaction was arranged by USS Investment Management (USSIM), a wholly-owned subsidiary of USS and its principal investment manager and adviser, which will manage the investment on USS’s behalf.
USSIM senior investment manager Gavin Merchant said: “The investment forms part of USS’s infrastructure portfolio and builds on a long track record of investing in high quality Australian infrastructure assets including Connect East and Brisbane Airtrain.”
USS was advised by EY and Johnson Winter Slattery on the transaction.
The acquisition adds to USS’s growing portfolio of infrastructure debt and equity investments and is consistent with its strategy of developing private market investment opportunities that, it said, fit well with its long-term pension liabilities.
Last month, USS acquired a 49.9% non-controlling stake in The Airline Group which is a 41.9% shareholder in NATS Holdings, the UK’s leading provider of air traffic control services (NATS).
And in October, USS invested £392m in Heathrow Airport after it reached an unconditional agreement with Ferrovial to acquire 8.65% of FGP Topco, the holding company which owns Heathrow Airport Holdings.
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