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Greencoat Renewables PLC

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G R E E N C O A T
R E N E W A B L E S

GREENCOAT 
RENEWABLES 
PLC

ANNUAL REPORT

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 
15 FEBRUARY 2017 
TO 31 DECEMBER 2017

4

GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017Contents

Contents

Company Information

At a Glance

Chairman’s Statement

Investment Manager’s Report

Board of Directors

Directors’ Report

Directors’ Remuneration Report

Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities

Corporate Governance Report

Audit Committee Report

Independent Auditor’s Report

Financial Statements 

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 

Supplementary Information

Defined Terms

Forward Looking Statements and Other Important Information

All capitalised terms are defined in the list of defined terms on pages 63 to 64 unless separately defined.

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65

1

GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017Contents 
Company 

Information

Company Information

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER
598470

REGISTERED OFFICE
Riverside One
Sir John Rogerson’s Quay
Dublin 2

REGISTERED AUDITOR
BDO 
Beaux Lane House
Mercer Street Lower
Dublin 2

LEGAL ADVISERS
McCann Fitzgerald
Riverside One
Sir John Rogerson’s Quay
Dublin 2

ESM ADVISER, NOMAD AND BROKER
J&E Davy
Davy House
49 Dawson Street
Dublin 2

ACCOUNT BANKS
Allied Irish Banks, plc.
40/41 Westmoreland Street
Dublin 2

Northern Trust International Fiduciary 
Services (Ireland) Limited 
Georges Court
56-62 Townsend Street
Dublin 2

DIRECTORS
Rónán Murphy (appointed 16 June 2017)*
Emer Gilvarry (appointed 16 June 2017)*
Kevin McNamara (appointed 16 June 2017)*
Paul O’Donnell (appointed 15 February 2017 and
resigned 16 June 2017)
Bertrand Gautier (appointed 15 February 2017 and
resigned 16 June 2017)
Andrea Finegan (appointed 03 March 2017 and
resigned 16 June 2017)

INVESTMENT MANAGER 
Greencoat Capital LLP
3rd Floor, Burdett House
15-16 Buckingham Street
London WC2N 6DU

COMPANY SECRETARY
Andrea Finegan
3rd Floor, Burdett House
15-16 Buckingham Street
London WC2N 6DU

ADMINISTRATOR 
Northern Trust International Fund
Administration Services (Ireland) Limited
Georges Court
56-62 Townsend Street
Dublin 2

DEPOSITARY
Northern Trust International Fiduciary  
Services (Ireland) Limited
Georges Court
56-62 Townsend Street
Dublin 2

REGISTRAR 
Computershare Investor Services
(Ireland) Limited
Heron House, Corrig Road 
Sandyford Industrial Estate 
Dublin 18

*  Non executive directors

2

GREENCOATRENEWABLESAt a Glance

At a Glance

Summary

Greencoat Renewables PLC is a sector-focused listed renewable infrastructure company, investing in renewable electricity 
generation assets, with an initial focus on wind assets in Ireland. The Company’s aim is to provide investors with an annual 
dividend that increases progressively whilst growing the capital value of its investment portfolio in the long term through 
reinvestment of excess cash flow and the prudent use of portfolio leverage.

Highlights

270m

Issuance  of  270  million  ordinary  shares  in  an  oversubscribed  IPO  and  listing  on  the  Irish  Stock 
Exchange’s  Enterprise  Securities  Market  and  the  London  Stock  Exchange’s  Alternative  Investments 
Market.

182.3 GWh

The Group’s investments generated 182.3GWh of electricity, 4 per cent. below budget for the period 
from the date of acquisition to 31 December 2017.

e11.8m

The  Portfolio’s  net  operating  cash  flow  was  €11.8m  for  the  period  from  the  date  of  acquisition  to 
31 December 2017.

21% GEARED

Placing of a new €250 million Revolving Credit Facility with a syndicate of 5 domestic and international 
banks delivering capital structure to fund future acquisitions. €71 million drawn down to fully refinance 
the existing project finance debt facility (equivalent to 21 per cent. of GAV).

136.7 MW

136.7MW capacity from seed portfolio expanding to 182.2MW, following agreement to acquire the 
36.3MW Dromadda More wind farm from Impax Asset Management expected to complete when fully 
commissioned in April 2018 and the acquisition of the 9.2MW Lisdowney wind farm in February 2018.

2.61c

Expected dividend in relation to the period from IPO to 31 December 2017 of 2.61 cent.

Key Metrics

Market capitalisation

Share price

Expected dividends with respect to the period

Expected dividends with respect to the period per share

GAV

NAV

NAV per share

As at 31 December 2017

€288.9 million

107.0 cent

€7.1 million

€2.61 cent

€332.1 million

€260.9 million

96.6 cent

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GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017 
 
At a Glance continued

Defining Characteristics

Greencoat Renewables PLC was designed for investors from first principles to be simple, transparent and low risk.

•  The Group is initially focused on investing solely in operating Irish wind assets.

•  Wind is the most mature and largest scale renewable technology.

• 

Ireland has a long established regulatory regime, high wind resource and c.€8 billion of wind farms expected to be in 
operation in the short to medium term.

•  The Group is wholly independent and thus avoids conflicts of interests in its investment decisions.

•  The Irish-based, independent Board governs the Group and actively monitors the efficient operation of the assets, 

and works in conjunction with an experienced investment management team.

•  The  Group  only  invests  in  wind  farms  that  have  an  appropriate  operational  track  record  (or  price  adjustment 

mechanism).

•  Low leverage (including no asset level leverage) is important to ensure a high level of cash flow stability and higher 

tolerance to downside sensitivities.

•  The Group invests only in euro assets and thus does not incur material currency risk.

4

GREENCOATRENEWABLESChairman’s 

Statement

Chairman’s Statement

I  am  very  pleased  that  we  are  publishing  the  first  annual 
report  for  Greencoat  Renewables  PLC,  relating  to  the 
period  ended  31  December  2017.  The  Group’s  first  year 
has  been  a  very  busy  one  with  a  number  of  important 
milestones reached, both financially and operationally.

In  broad  terms  these  achievements  were  the  acquisition 
of  a  high  quality  portfolio,  the  successful  raising  of 
€270  million  and  subsequent  listing  on  ESM  of  the  Irish 
Stock Exchange and AIM of the London Stock Exchange 
as well as the associated financial reorganisation.

I would again like to thank our new shareholders for their 
support, as well as ISIF and AIB for the role they played in 
the early stages of the business. I am happy to report that 
all of the Company’s immediate goals have been achieved, 
and I believe its prospects are strong. Lastly, as a result of 
the Company being incorporated on 15 February 2017, it 
should  be  noted  that  the  financial  statements  cover  the 
period from incorporation to 31 December 2017.

annualised 6.0c per share dividend for the period from IPO 
to 31 December 2017.

The 2018 target dividend is 6.0 cent per share, expected to 
be paid quarterly in May, August, November with the final 
quarterly dividend payable in February 2019.

NAV per share decreased slightly in the period from 98.0 
cent per share at IPO to 96.6 cent per share at 31 December 
2017, driven by a decline in power price forecasts beyond 
the  REFIT  period  as  well  as  lowered  short  term  inflation 
forecasts.

ACQUISITIONS AND EQUITY RAISING
2017 was a busy year in Ireland’s secondary wind market, 
and we are delighted with the acquisitions made. In March 
2017,  the  Company  acquired  its  136.7MW  seed  portfolio 
in  a  single  transaction  from  Brookfield  consisting  of  the 
100.0MW  Knockacummer  wind  farm  and  the  36.7MW 
Killhills wind farm.

BUSINESS STRATEGY
The  Company’s  strategy  remains  unchanged.  It  aims  to 
provide  attractive  risk  adjusted  returns  to  shareholders 
through a target annual dividend of 6.0 cent per share that 
increases progressively while growing the capital value of 
its investment portfolio.

In  December  2017,  we  announced  agreement  to  acquire 
the 36.3MW Dromadda More wind farm from Impax Asset 
Management.  This  acquisition  is  expected  to  complete 
in April 2018 when the asset is formally commissioned. In 
February 2018, we announced the acquisition of the 9.2MW 
Lisdowney wind farm from a group of local developers.

The Company is targeting an IRR of 7 to 8 per cent. (net 
of  expenses  and  fees)  on  the  issue  price  of  the  ordinary 
shares  to  be  achieved  over  the  longer  term  via  active 
management of the investment portfolio, reinvestment of 
excess  cash  flows  and  the  prudent  use  of  leverage.  The 
Company intends to hold assets in its investment portfolio 
for the long term.

Ireland  has  an  EU  obligation  to  ensure  that  16  per  cent. 
of primary energy use is derived from renewable sources, 
expected to be largely from onshore wind, by 2020. Since 
1995, Ireland has provided owners of operating wind farms 
with  a  supportive  regulatory  framework.  Irish  wind  farms 
benefit from a 15 year inflation-linked floor price under the 
REFIT regime, while allowing wind farms to capture prices 
above the floor.

PERFORMANCE
The Portfolio generated 182.3GWh from date of acquisition 
to  31  December  2017,  slightly  below  budget  as  a  result 
of  lower  than  expected  wind  speeds,  with  operational 
availability on budget. There were no material unplanned 
outages or issues affecting any of the assets in the period. 
As a result, the Portfolio generated operating cash flow of 
€11.8 million.

DIVIDENDS AND RETURNS
In  line  with  the  initial  target  dividend,  the  Company  will 
declare  a  dividend  of  2.61c  per  share  on  1  March  2018, 
to  be  paid  on  29  March  2018,  corresponding  to  an 

Both  recently  acquired  assets  benefit  from  more  than  14 
years  of  secured  pricing  as  all  are  contracted  under  the 
REFIT 2. We are pleased to have the capability to acquire 
from  such  a  wide  range  of  vendors.  This  underpins  our 
ability to acquire and consolidate assets in the secondary 
wind market.

GEARING
As outlined at the time of the IPO, the Group intended to 
replace  the  existing  project  finance  facility  to  enable  the 
acquisition  of  further  operating  assets  in  the  secondary 
wind  market.  In  December  2017,  the  Group  put  in  place 
a  three  year  €250  million  Revolving  Credit  Facility  with  a 
syndicate of five domestic and international banks.

The  Revolving  Credit  Facility  was  used  to  retire  the 
remaining  €71  million  of  project  finance  debt  associated 
with  Greencoat  Renewables’  137MW  portfolio  of  seed 
assets,  equating  to  21  per  cent.  of  GAV  at  31  December 
2017. After completion of the post year end acquisitions, 
leverage will equate to approximately 41 per cent. of GAV.

is  to  keep  overall  Group 

The  Group’s  policy 
level 
borrowings  at  a  prudent  level  (limited  to  60  per  cent.  of 
GAV) in order to reduce risk, while ensuring that the Group 
is  always  at  least  fully  invested  thus  using  shareholders’ 
capital efficiently. Over the medium term we would expect 
gearing to be c.40 per cent..

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GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017 
Chairman’s Statement continued

OUTLOOK
As planned, the significant financial reorganisation in 2017 
has  provided  us  with  a  stable,  simplified  structure  and 
positions the Group to deliver future growth.

The Irish wind market remains a very attractive jurisdiction 
with  a  stable  and  supportive  regulatory  regime.  Wind 
remains  the  dominant  renewable  technology  and  the 
Group  is  in  a  good  position  to  benefit  as  electricity 
production from wind becomes an increasingly important 
part of Ireland’s generation mix.

local  expertise  of  the 

The  Group  continues  to  benefit 
from  the  unique 
Investment 
relationships  and 
Manager in terms of acquiring further assets. We continue 
to  see  a  large  number  of  attractive  secondary  market 
opportunities, and are maintaining focus on only the most 
value accretive.

The Board is supportive of value-accretive growth through 
further  wind  farm  investments,  and  such  acquisitions  will 
be in the shareholders’ interest:

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Our first AGM will take place on 26 April 2018 at 2:00 pm 
at the offices of J&E Davy, Davy House, 49 Dawson Street, 
Dublin  2,  Ireland.  Details  of  the  formal  business  of  the 
meeting are set out in the notice of AGM, which is sent to 
shareholders with the Annual Report. We look forward to 
meeting shareholders on that occasion.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, we are very pleased with the progress that 
the Company has made since listing in July 2017. I would 
like to thank my fellow Directors, Emer Gilvarry and Kevin 
McNamara,  for  their  stewardship  and  advice  during  the 
period, particularly through the IPO process. Finally, I would 
like to acknowledge the professionalism and engagement 
of the Investment Manager, which contributed significantly 
to our successful first year of operations.

•  Providing additional economies of scale at Group level;

• 

Increasing  market  power  with  service  providers  and 
asset sellers; and

Rónán Murphy 
Chairman

28 February 2018

• 

Increasing liquidity in our shares.

The  Board  remains  confident  in  the  Company’s  outlook 
for  the  future,  and  in  the  disciplined  approach  of  the 
Investment Manager to possible future acquisitions and the 
continued careful management of the existing Portfolio.

6

Killhills

GREENCOATRENEWABLESInvestment 

Manager’s Report

Investment Manager’s Report

THE INVESTMENT MANAGER

Greencoat  Capital  is  a  leading  investment  manager  in 
the renewable energy market, with more than €2 billion 
of funds under management. The Investment Manager’s 
experience  spans  across  wind  and  Solar  PV  asset 
investment and operation. All of the skills and experience 
required to manage the Group’s investments lie within a 
single Investment Manager. The team is led by Bertrand 
Gautier and Paul O’Donnell.

Bertrand  has  over  25  years  of  operational,  financial  and 
investment  experience,  of  which  the  last  8  years  were 
focused  solely  on  renewables.  Bertrand  has  been  a 
Partner of the Investment Manager since joining in 2010. 
Prior to Greencoat Capital, he spent 3 years at Terra Firma 
Capital Partners where he managed a variety of leveraged 
buyout  and  refinancing  transactions,  and  oversaw  the 
management  of  portfolio  businesses.  Before  joining 
Terra Firma in 2007, he spent 5 years at Merrill Lynch as 
part  of  the  M&A  Advisory  Group  in  the  Infrastructure 
and  Industrials  team.  Prior  to  that,  he  gained  extensive 
operational  experience  over  8  years  in  several  French 
engineering SMEs.

Paul has over 15 years of investment experience, of which 
the  last  10  have  been  focused  solely  on  renewables. 
Paul  joined  the  Investment  Manager  in  2009  and  has 
specialised  in  managing  investments  in  the  wind  and 
solar  generation  sectors,  working  across  development, 
operations, technology, and financing. In that time, Paul 
oversaw Airvolution Energy, a UK based wind developer 
which  has  developed  and  constructed  over  60MW  of 
wind  assets  as  well  as  Lumicity,  a  UK  solar  developer 
which developed over 60MW of solar assets. Paul has been 
a Partner of the Investment Manager since 2016, and has 
been  based  in  Dublin  since  2013.  Paul  started  his  career 
with PwC Ireland in Dublin.

The  Investment  Manager  is  authorised  and  regulated  by 
the  Financial  Conduct  Authority  in  the  UK  and  is  a  full 
scope AIFM.

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GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017 
 
Investment Manager’s Report continued

OVERVIEW
The Investment Manager is very pleased with the milestones achieved in the period to 31 December 2017 and at the start 
of 2018. All of the reorganisation goals that were targeted at IPO have been achieved and the Group begins 2018 with a 
simple, stable structure and in a strong position to deliver NAV accretive growth.

ROADSHOW 

PUBLIC COMPANY  

Knockacummer planned outage + upgrade 

Seed Assets acquired 

Onboarding PF debt 

Company Formed 

Paydown of project 
finance debt 

Intention 
to Float 

Successful 
Listing 

NAV update and 
power price effect 

First Interim 
Results 

NAV update 

Dromadda More 
agreed 

Creation of Revolving 
Credit Facility 
Removal of remaining 
PF debt 

Operations 

Shareholders 

Dromadda More 
expected completion 

Acquisitions 

Capital structure 

Company milestones 

Feb 

Mar 

Apr 

May 

Jun 

Jul 

Aug 

Sep 

Oct 

Nov 

Dec 

Jan 
2018 

Feb 

Mar 

Apr 

€443m 

41% 

100% 

46.5% 

g
n
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a
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0% 

Project finance debt 

Gearing 

Group level debt 

Jan  
2017 

600 

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€
(
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)

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400 

Equity 

200 

Jan  
2017 

250 

200 

100 

Jan  
2017 

Feb 

Mar 

Apr 

May 

Jun 

Jul 

Aug 

Sep 

Oct 

Nov 

Dec 

Jan 
2018 

Feb 

Mar 

Apr 

137MW 

183.1MW 

Feb 

Mar 

Apr 

May 

Jun 

Jul 

Aug 

Sep 

Oct 

Nov 

Dec 

1 

2  3 

4 

5 
6 

7  8 

Jan 
2018 

Feb 

Mar 

Apr 

KEY EVENTS IN 2017
1.  Company incorporated;
2.   Cornerstone financing secured from AIB and ISIF;
3.   Seed Portfolio acquired from Brookfield funded by AIB and ISIF capital;
4.   Announced Intention to Float on Dublin and London stock exchanges;
5.   270 million ordinary shares issued and €270 million gross proceeds raised in an oversubscribed IPO;
6.   Repayment of cornerstone financing from AIB and ISIF, and partial repayment of project finance debt making use of proceeds from IPO;
7.   Placing of Revolving Credit Facility to refinance the residual project finance debt and to enable future additions to the portfolio;
8.   Entering into agreement to acquire Dromadda More wind farm upon commissioning in 2018.

OVERVIEW
As a new business, the Group made significant changes to its capital structure over the course of 2017 as a consequence 
of both the acquisition of the Portfolio and the listing of the Company’s Shares on the AIM of the London Stock Exchange 
and ESM of the Irish Stock Exchange in July 2017. Specifically, there were a number of significant one-off events adding 
complexity to our first set of financial statements. These included:

•  Set-up and listing of the Company with €270 million equity raised at IPO;

•  Redemption  of  the  pre-IPO  funding  instruments  from  AIB  and  ISIF  (used  to  fund  the  acquisition  of  the  Portfolio) 

subsequent to IPO;

•  Retirement  in  December  2017  of  the  project  finance  debt  (associated  with  the  Portfolio)  and  placement  of  a 

€250 million Revolving Credit Facility;

•  The planned grid outage at Knockacummer, an asset representing the significant majority of the Group’s generating 

capacity.

8

GREENCOATRENEWABLES 
 
 
 
 
 
Investment Manager’s Report continued

INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO
The  Group’s  investment  portfolio  as  at  31  December  2017  consisted  of  interests  in  SPVs  which  held  the  following 
underlying operating wind farms:

Turbines
Nordex
Enercon

Operator
Brookfield
Brookfield

Location
Co. Cork
Co. Tipperary

REFIT
REFIT 1
REFIT 2

Net MW
100.0
36.7
136.7

Wind farm
Knockacummer
Killhills
Total

1  Killhills

2  Knockacummer

1

2

ASSETS

TURBINES

KILLHILLS

KNOCKACUMMER

ENERCON

NORDEX

Portfolio  generation  for  the  period  from  acquisition  of  the  seed  portfolio  in  March  2017  to  31  December  2017  was 
182.3 GWh, 4 per cent. below budget. This was a result of wind resource for the period being below average. As stated 
in the Company’s Admission Document, wind resource should not be considered a source of either upside or downside 
in the long term.

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GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017 
 
  
 
 
 
 
Investment Manager’s Report continued

INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO CONTINUED
2017’s variation to budget was comfortably within expected statistical boundaries. The annual standard deviation of wind 
speed is 6 per cent. and the annual standard deviation of generation is 10 per cent. (2 per cent. over 25 years).

As all assets are contracted to the REFIT scheme, there was no variation in power price capture.

The following table provides a breakdown of performance by wind farm:

Wind Farm

Killhills
Knockacummer
Total

Period

Mar - Dec
Mar - Dec

Actual 
Generation 
(GWh)
67.3
115.0
182.3

Budget 
Generation 
(GWh)
70.2
120.1
190.3

Variance

 - 4%
 - 4%
- 4%

Overall portfolio availability was in line with budget. The only notable event being the pre-planned outage to the Glenlara 
substation at Knockacummer:

•  The works undertaken during the pre-planned grid outage relating to the Glenlara substation were largely completed 
on schedule as Knockacummer re-energised 4 days later than expected on 27 October 2017 due to some grid-related 
interruption from Hurricane Ophelia;

•  The planned work involved a full upgrade to the local substations to which Knockacummer is connected. During the 
outage, the wind farm underwent an accelerated maintenance and upgrade programme. The remaining work on the 
grid’s transmission connection is expected to be completed in the first half of 2018. This will involve a short outage to 
facilitate the reconnection after which the wind farm will be fully transmission connected.

HEALTH AND SAFETY
In  October  2017,  the  meteorological  mast  at  Killhills  collapsed  due  to  a  shear  failure  at  the  base  in  the  foundation 
connections. This was reported to the Health and Safety Authority in Ireland as a dangerous occurrence and the root 
cause for the collapse is currently under investigation. There were no other incidents in the period to 31 December 2017.

The Group commissioned a health and safety audit across its assets in November 2017 by an independent consultant. 
The audit focused on the absolute standard of health and safety procedures, consistency of reporting across the Portfolio 
and industry benchmarking. No material areas of concern were identified.

ACQUISITIONS
SEED PORTFOLIO
On  9  March  2017,  the  Company  invested  €318.1  million  to  acquire  100  per  cent.  of  the  seed  portfolio  consisting  of 
Knockacummer and Killhills wind farms from Brookfield. Initial funding for this transaction was provided by AIB and ISIF.

Knockacummer is a 100MW wind farm in County Cork consisting of forty 2.5MW Nordex N90 turbines. Knockacummer is 
eligible for support under REFIT 1 until the end of 2027.

Killhills is a 36.7 MW wind farm in County Tipperary consisting of thirteen 2.3MW Enercon E82 turbines. Killhills is eligible 
for support under REFIT 2 until the end of 2030.

Both wind farms represent a high quality seed portfolio, and both benefit from long-dated REFIT contracts.

SUBSEQUENT ACQUISITIONS
On  21  December  2017,  the  Company  announced  the  agreement  to  acquire  Dromadda  More  from  Impax  Asset 
Management for €88.4 million. Dromadda More  is  a  36.3MW  wind  farm  in  County  Kerry  consisting  of  11  Vestas V112 
turbines and will benefit from a full 15 years of REFIT 2 support. Completion of the transaction is expected to occur in 
April 2018 following successful commissioning of the wind farm.

On 16 February 2018, the Group acquired 100 per cent. of the 9.2MW Lisdowney wind farm for €22.5 million. Lisdowney 
has 4 Enercon E82 turbines and is eligible for support under REFIT 2 for the next 14 years.

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
Portfolio generation was in line with management expectations resulting in portfolio net operating cash generation of 
€11.8m for the period.

10

GREENCOATRENEWABLESInvestment Manager’s Report continued

INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE

Opening NAV
25 July
2017

Movement in
DCF valuation

Movement in cash
(Group and
wind farm SPVs)

Movement in
other relevant
assets/liabilties

Movement in
Aggregate
Group Debt

Closing NAV
31 December
2017

€264.6m

€(4.9)m

€(96.3)m

€5.2m

€92.2m

€260.9m

270

225

180

m
€

135

90

45

0

Shares in issue

270,000,000

NAV/share (cent)

98.0

270,000,000

96.6

NAV at 31 December 2017 was €260.9 million (96.6 cent per share):

•  NAV at IPO was €264.6 million (98.0 cent per share);

•  The portfolio DCF valuation decreased by €4.9 million reflecting decline of long term power price and downward 

revision of Irish inflation by the Central Bank of Ireland;

•  Cash balances decreased by €96.3 million, driven by retirement of project finance debt and settlement of liabilities;

•  Net assets at Group level increased by €5.2 million; and

•  Aggregate Group debt decreased by €92.2 million, following a €90 million repayment of the project finance facility 

utilising proceeds from the IPO in August 2017 and project debt swap.

The share price at 31 December 2017 was 107 cent representing an 11 per cent. premium to NAV.

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GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017 
 
 
Investment Manager’s Report continued

INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE CONTINUED

RECONCILIATION OF STATUTORY NET ASSETS TO REPORTED NAV

As at  
31 December 2017
€’000

As at  
25 July 2017(1)
€’000

306,532

1,855

8,409

316,796

14,794

428

332,018

(71,169)  

260,849

1,237

262,086

311,436

1,855

4,557

317,848

114,935

(4,810)  

427,973

(163,391)  

264,582

0

264,582

270,000,000

96.6

270,000,000

98.0

DCF valuation

Shareholder loan interest receivable

Cash (wind farm SPVs)

Fair value of investments

Cash (Group)

Other relevant assets/(liabilities)

GAV

Aggregate Group Debt

NAV

Reconciling items(2)

Statutory net assets

Shares in issue

NAV per share (cent)

(1) The Company listed on 25 July 2017 and this was the first published NAV of the Group

(2) The reconciling item reflects a deferred tax asset in Holdco

NAV SENSITIVITIES
NAV is equal to GAV less Aggregate Group Debt.

GAV is the sum of:

•  DCF valuations of the Group’s investments;

•  Cash (at Group and wind farm SPV level); and

•  Other relevant assets and liabilities of the Group.

The DCF valuation of the Group’s investments represents the largest component of GAV and the key sensitivities are 
considered to be the discount rate used in the DCF valuation and long term assumptions in relation to energy yield, 
power prices and inflation.

Base  case  energy  yield  assumptions  are  P50  (50  per  cent.  probability  of  exceedance)  forecasts  produced  by  expert 
consultants based on long term wind data and operational history. The P90 (90 per cent. probability of exceedance over 
a 10 year period) and P10 (10 per cent. probability of exceedance over a 10 year period) sensitivities reflect the future 
variability of wind and the uncertainty associated with the long term data source being representative of the long term 
mean. Given their basis on long term operating data, it is not anticipated that base case energy yield assumptions will be 
adjusted (other than any wind energy true-ups with compensating purchase price adjustments).

Long term power price forecasts are provided by a leading market consultant, updated quarterly and adjusted by the 
Investment Manager where more conservative assumptions are considered appropriate. The independent forecasts are 
never adjusted upwards. Base case real power prices increase from approximately €67/MWh (2030) to approximately €73/
MWh (2040). The sensitivity below assumes a 10 per cent. increase or decrease in power prices relative to the base case 
for every year of the asset life, which is relatively extreme (a 10 per cent. variation in short term power prices, as reflected 
by the forward curve, would have a much lesser effect).

Asset life is assumed to be 25 years. Although the industry is considering that asset life could be extended, the Investment 
Manager is not providing sensitivity in respect of asset life extension given the number of variables to be considered at 
the present time.

The base case long term CPI assumption is 2.00 per cent..

12

GREENCOATRENEWABLES 
Investment Manager’s Report continued

NAV SENSITIVITIES CONTINUED

The following chart shows the impact of the key sensitivities on NAV.

Impact on NAV

Discount rate (+/- 0.5%)

Power price (-/+ 10%)

Inflation rate (-/+ 0.5%)

Energy yield (10 year P90/P10)

-20

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

20

cent per share

GEARING
On  19  December  2017,  the  Group  entered  into  a  3-year  €250  million  Revolving  Credit  Facility  with  a  syndicate  of  5 
domestic  and  international  banks:  AIB,  BNP  Paribas,  Commerzbank,  RBC  and  Santander.  This  was  the  Company’s 
intention at listing in order to deliver the targeted capital structure (i.e. retiring seed portfolio project finance debt) and 
to enable funding of future acquisitions of operating assets in the secondary wind market.

The Group made its first drawdown on the facility on 19 December 2017 to fully refinance and retire the project finance 
facility and associated interest rate swap, which had been part of the acquisition of the Portfolio.

As at 31 December 2017, the Group had €71.2 million of debt outstanding, equating to 21 per cent. of GAV.

All borrowing is at the Group level. There is no remaining asset level debt.

OUTLOOK
The outlook for the Group remains positive with a growing secondary wind market, and a stable policy backdrop for Irish 
wind assets, and a reliable wind resource underpinned by the REFIT contracts.

SECONDARY WIND FARM MARKET
We see a strong and growing pipeline of opportunities in the secondary wind asset market in Ireland, with a range of high 
quality assets which the Group is well-placed to acquire. Since IPO in July 2017, we have been involved in 11 separate 
processes,  many  of  which  are  ongoing  but  the  acquisition  of  2  assets  since  IPO  demonstrates  our  execution  on  the 
strategy. In particular, we have seen a number of ongoing processes for sub 20MW assets, where we believe the Group 
is very well positioned. This underpins that we continue to see the benefit of our long relationships and experience in 
Ireland, as well as our expertise in the renewable infrastructure market.

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GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017 
 
Investment Manager’s Report continued

OUTLOOK CONTINUED

IRISH RENEWABLES MARKET
The Irish onshore wind market continues to expand rapidly. In 2017, over 500MW became operational, taking the capacity 
to over 3.4GW of operating wind farms, with installed capacity set to grow to over 4.0GW by the end of 2019, representing 
a c.€8bn market size. 

The level of wind penetration on the Irish electricity system continues to grow and has increased from 50 per cent. non-
synchronised  penetration  through  to  60  per  cent.  in  2017.  As  part  of  the  process  of  integrating  European  electricity 
markets, the EU introduced a regional integration initiative. This sees the all-island electricity market deepening its ties 
with  the  UK  and  French  markets.  The  new  market  arrangements  (referred  to  as  I-SEM)  are  designed  to  integrate  the 
all-island electricity market with European electricity markets, enabling the free flow of energy across borders. Both the 
increased level of non-synchronised penetration and the new I-SEM market would benefit increased renewable electivity 
generation deployment on the Irish grid.

Since IPO, the Irish Government has announced the consultancy process around a new REFIT programme for wind, which 
will run beyond 2019. This REFIT should provide further long-term depth to the secondary market, underpinned by the 
continued strong build out we have seen under REFIT 2.

While the structure and level of the new REFIT is not directly relevant to the value of the Group’s Portfolio or to the value 
of any short to medium term pipeline, it shows the continued governmental support for the renewable energy sector, not 
least for reasons of security of supply.

14

Knockacummer

GREENCOATRENEWABLESBoard of Directors

Board of Directors

The Directors are of the opinion that the Board, as a whole, comprises an appropriate balance of skills, experience and 
diversity.  The  Board  is  comprised  of  individuals  from  relevant  and  complementary  backgrounds  offering  experience 
in  investment,  financial,  and  business  skills,  as  well  as  in  the  energy  sector  from  both  investment  and  a  commercial 
perspective. 

Rónán Murphy, 
Chairman

(Appointed 16 June 2017) 

Rónán Murphy, aged 60, was previously Senior Partner of PwC Ireland, a position he was 
elected to in 2007 and was re-elected to for a further four year term in July 2011. Rónán 
joined  PwC  in  1980,  qualifying  in  1982,  and  was  admitted  to  the  partnership  in  1992. 
Rónán was a member of the PwC EMEA Leadership Board from 2010 to 2015. Rónán is 
also a non-executive director of Icon Plc, Davy and Liberty Insurance.

Rónán  holds  a  Bachelor  of  Commerce  degree  and  Masters  in  Business  Studies  from 
University College Dublin and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Kevin McNamara, 
Chairman of the Audit 
Committee

(Appointed 16 June 2017)

Kevin  McNamara,  aged  63,  has  more  than  25  years’  experience  in  the  energy  sector. 
Kevin  enjoyed  a  long  career  with  ESB  International,  including  leading  the  investment 
division  of  ESB  International  Investments.  More  recently  Kevin  was  CFO  of  Amarenco 
Solar, a solar business focused on the Irish and French markets and prior to this CEO of 
Airvolution Energy, a UK wind development business.

Kevin  holds  a  Bachelor  of  Commerce  degree  from  University  College  Dublin  and  is  a 
Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Emer Gilvarry

(Appointed 16 June 2017)

Emer Gilvarry, aged 60, is Chair of Mason Hayes & Curran (Solicitors). Prior to taking up 
the position of Chair, Emer was the Managing Partner for two consecutive terms from 
2008  to  2014.  She  is  also  a  former  Head  of  the  firm’s  Litigation  Group  (2001  to  2008). 
Emer is a former Board member of Aer Lingus plc. She is currently a board member of 
The Economic and Social Research Institute and the Ireland Funds.

Emer holds a Bachelor of Law degree from University College Dublin (BCL).

OTHER IRISH PUBLIC COMPANY DIRECTORSHIPS
In addition to their directorships of the Company, the below Directors currently hold the following Irish public company 
directorships:

Rónán Murphy

Icon plc

The Directors have all offered themselves for re-election and resolutions concerning this will be proposed at the AGM.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
The Directors have declared any conflicts or potential conflicts of interest to the Board of Directors which has the authority 
to approve such situations. The Company Secretary maintains the Register of Directors’ Conflicts of Interests which is 
reviewed quarterly by the Board and when changes are notified. The Directors advise the Company Secretary and the 
Board as soon as they become aware of any conflicts of interest. Directors who have conflicts of interest do not take part 
in discussions which relate to any of their conflicts.

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GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017HEAD_0 1st lineHEAD_0 1st line continuedHEAD_0 2nd line2nd line continued 
 
Directors’ Report

Directors’ Report

The  Directors  present  their  Annual  Report,  together 
with  the  consolidated  financial  statements  of  Greencoat 
Renewables  PLC  for  the  period  from  incorporation  on 
15 February 2017 to 31 December 2017.

PRINCIPAL ACTIVITY AND BUSINESS REVIEW 
A detailed discussion of the individual project performance 
and a review of the business in the period are covered in 
the Investment Manager’s Report on pages 7 to 14. 

RESULTS FOR THE YEAR 
The  consolidated  financial  statements  for  the  financial 
period ended 31 December 2017 are set out in detail on 
pages 35 to 40 including the results for the period which are 
set out in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive 
Income on page 35.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS 
The  Company’s  future  outlook 
Investment Manager’s Report on pages 7 to 14.

is  discussed 

in  the 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The  Company’s  aim  is  to  provide  attractive  risk-adjusted 
returns to shareholders through an annual dividend (6.0c 
for 2017 on an annualised basis) that increases progressively 
whilst growing the capital value of its investment portfolio. 
The Company is targeting an IRR of 7 to 8 per cent. (net 
of  expenses  and  fees)  on  the  issue  price  of  the  ordinary 
shares  to  be  achieved  over  the  longer  term  via  active 
management of the investment portfolio, reinvestment of 
excess  cash  flows  and  the  prudent  use  of  leverage.  The 
Company intends to hold assets in its investment portfolio 
for the long term.

INVESTMENT POLICY
The  Group  intends  to  increase  its  portfolio  of  renewable 
energy generation assets within the Eurozone with a focus 
on Ireland. Key investment criteria include:

•  During the first 24 months from IPO, the Group will be 
invested in operational wind energy assets in Ireland.

•  Thereafter, Ireland will remain a key country of focus for 
the Group as no less than 60 per cent. of GAV will be 
invested in Ireland.

•  The Group can also invest, in aggregate, up to 40 per 
cent. of GAV in operational wind energy or solar assets 
in  other  relevant  countries  (being  Belgium,  Finland, 
France, Germany and the Netherlands).

•  The  Company  will  generally  avoid  using  non-recourse 
debt at the asset level; aggregate debt at Company level 
will not be more than 60 per cent. of GAV at drawdown.

The  Company  utilised  investment  from  AIB  and  ISIF 
to  acquire  its  Portfolio  during  the  period  and  placed  a 
Revolving  Credit  Facility  to  fund  future  investments.  This 
has  enhanced  the  Group’s  attractiveness  to  sellers  since 
execution  risk  is  greatly  diminished,  with  the  Group 
effectively being a cash buyer.

The  Group  will  look  to  repay  its  drawn  debt  facilities  by 
refinancing  them  in  the  equity  markets  at  appropriate 
times  in  order  to  refresh  its  debt  capacity.  While  debt 
facilities are drawn, the Company benefits from an increase 
in investor returns because borrowing costs are below the 
underlying return on investments.

GROUP STRUCTURE AND SHARE CAPITAL
The  Company  is  incorporated  in  the  Republic  of  Ireland. 
The  Group  is  wholly  independent  and  is  not  tied  to  any 
particular utility or developer. All of the ordinary shares in the 
Company are quoted on ESM of the Irish Stock Exchange 
and  on  AIM  of  the  London  Stock  Exchange.  The  Group 
comprises of the Company, Holdco and Holdco 2. Holdco 
and Holdco 2 invest in the underlying portfolio companies. 

The Company has one class of ordinary shares which carry 
no rights to fixed income. Shareholders are entitled to all 
dividends  paid  by  the  Company  and,  on  a  winding  up, 
provided the Company has satisfied all of its liabilities, the 
Shareholders are entitled to all of the surplus assets of the 
Company.

All shareholders have the same voting rights in respect of 
the share capital of the Company. Shareholders are entitled 
to attend and vote at general meetings of the Company 
and, on a poll, to one vote for each ordinary share held.

The  rights  and  obligations  to  the  ordinary  shares  are  set 
out  in  the  Company’s  articles  of  association  which  are 
available  on  the  Company’s  website:  www.greencoat-
renewables.com.

AUTHORITY TO PURCHASE OWN SHARES
The  current  authority  of  the  Company  to  make  market 
purchases  of  up  to  14.99  per  cent.  of  its  issued  share 
capital expires at the conclusion of the first AGM. Special 
resolution  9  will  be  proposed  at  the  forthcoming  AGM 
seeking renewal of such authority until the next AGM (or 
30 June 2019, whichever is earlier). The purchases will only 
be made for cash at prices below the estimated prevailing 
NAV  per  share  and  where  the  Board  believes  such 
purchases will result in an increase of the NAV per share. 
Any shares repurchased under this authority will either be 
cancelled or held in treasury at the discretion of the Board 
for future resale in appropriate market conditions.

The  Directors  believe  that  the  renewal  of  the  Company’s 
authority to purchase shares, as detailed above, is in the 
best  interests  of  shareholders  as  a  whole  and  therefore 
recommend  shareholders  to  vote  in  favour  of  special 
resolution 9.

DISCOUNT CONTROL
As  part  of  the  Company’s  discount  control  policies, 
the  Board  intends  to  propose  a  continuation  vote  by 
shareholders  if  the  share  price  trades  at  a  significant 
discount  to  NAV.  If  in  any  financial  year,  the  shares  have 
traded on average, at a discount in excess of 10 per cent 
or  more  to  the  NAV  per  share  in  any  financial  year,  the 

16

GREENCOATRENEWABLESHEAD_0 1st lineHEAD_0 1st line continuedHEAD_0 2nd line2nd line continuedDirectors’ Report continued

DISCOUNT CONTROL CONTINUED
Board will propose a special resolution at the Company’s 
next annual general meeting that the Company cease to 
continue  in  its  present  form.  Notwithstanding  this,  the 
Board  could  consider  buying  back  its  own  shares  in  the 
market if the share price is trading at a material discount 
to NAV, providing it is in the interests of the shareholders 
to do so.

MAJOR INTERESTS IN SHARES
Significant  shareholdings  as  at  31  December  2017  are 
detailed below.

Shareholder 

Ireland Strategic Investment Fund

Newton Investment Management 

Irish Life Investment Managers 

Allied Irish Banks 

Investec Wealth & Investment 

Farringdon Capital Management

Close Asset Management 

M&G Investment Management 

Ordinary shares 
held %
31 December 2017

28.15%

6.20%

5.71%

5.56%

4.91%

3.65%

3.65%

3.35%

COMPANIES ACT 2014 DISCLOSURES
The Directors disclose the following information:

•  The  Company’s  capital  structure  is  detailed  in  note 
14  of  the  consolidated  financial  statements  and  all 
shareholders  have  the  same  voting  rights  in  respect 
of  the  share  capital  of  the  Company.  There  are  no 
restrictions on voting rights that the Company is aware 
of,  nor  any  agreement  between  holders  of  securities 
that result in restrictions on the transfer of securities or 
on voting rights;

•  There  exist  no  securities  carrying  special  rights  with 

regard to the control of the Company;

•  The  Company  does  not  have  an  employees’  share 

scheme;

•  The rules concerning the appointment and replacement 
of Directors are contained in the Company’s Articles of 
Association and the Companies Act 2014;

•  There  exist  no  agreements  to  which  the  Company  is 
party  that  may  affect  its  control  following  a  takeover 
bid; and

•  There exist no agreements between the Company and 
its  Directors  providing  for  compensation  for  loss  of 
office that may occur because of a takeover bid.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
The Board believes that the key metrics detailed within the 
summary on page 3, which are typical for investment funds, 
will  provide  shareholders  with  sufficient  information  to 
assess how effectively the Group is meeting its objectives.

ONGOING CHARGES

Total management fee* 

Directors’ fees*

Ongoing expenses*

Total

31 December 2017

0.44%

0.04%

0.34%

0.82%

* On-going charges represent the period from IPO to 31 December 2017 
and as such, are not annualised.

DIRECTORS’ INDEMNITY
Directors’ and Officers’ liability insurance cover is in place 
in  respect  of  the  Directors.  The  Company’s  Articles  of 
Association  provide,  subject  to  the  provisions  of  Ireland 
and  UK  legislation,  an  indemnity  for  Directors  in  respect 
of  costs  which  they  may  incur  relating  to  the  defence  of 
any  proceedings  brought  against  them  arising  out  of 
their positions as Directors, in which they are acquitted or 
judgement is given in their favour by the Court.

Except  for  such  indemnity  provisions  in  the  Company’s 
Articles  of  Association  and  in  the  Directors’  letters  of 
appointment, there are no qualifying third party indemnity 
provisions in force.

ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE 
POLICIES
The  Group  invests  in  wind  farms  and  the  environmental 
benefits of renewable energy are widely known.

The  Group  relies  on  the  Investment  Manager  to  apply 
appropriate  policies  to  the  investments  the  Group  makes. 
The policies in place at the Investment Manager outline the 
Group’s  approach  to  responsible  investing,  as  well  as  the 
environmental standards which it aims to meet. Responsible 
investing  principles  have  been  applied  to  each  of  the 
investments made.

These  policies  require  the  Group  to  make  reasonable 
endeavours  to  procure  the  ongoing  compliance  of  its 
its  policies  on  responsible 
portfolio  companies  with 
investment. Further details on these policies may be found 
on the Company’s website: www.greencoat-renewables.com

The  Investment  Manager  monitors  compliance  at  the 
investment phase and reports on an ongoing basis to the 
Board.

GLOBAL GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
As the Group has outsourced operations to third parties, 
there  are  no  significant  greenhouse  gas  emissions  to 
report from the operations of the Group.

In relation to the Group’s investee companies, the level of 
greenhouse gas emissions arising from the low volume of 
electricity  imports  and  from  operation  and  maintenance 
activity is not considered material for disclosure purposes. 
Further,  as  the  assets  are  renewable  energy  generators, 
they reduce carbon dioxide emissions on a net basis (at a 
rate of approximately 0.4tn CO2 per MWh).

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Directors’ Report continued

Killhills

EMPLOYEES AND OFFICERS OF THE COMPANY
The Company does not have any employees but instead 
engages experienced third parties to operate the assets in 
which it owns. The Directors of the Company are listed on 
page 15. The Group’s policy on diversity is detailed in the 
Corporate Governance Report on pages 26 to 28.

PRINCIPAL RISKS AND RISK MANAGEMENT
In the normal course of business, each investee company 
has  a  rigorous  risk  management  framework  with  a 
comprehensive risk register that is reviewed and updated 
regularly and approved by its board. The key risks to the 
performance  of  the  Group,  identified  by  the  Board,  are 
detailed below. 

The  Board  maintains  a  risk  matrix  considering  the  risks 
affecting both the Group and the investee companies. This 
risk matrix is updated annually to ensure that procedures 
are in place to identify, mitigate and minimise the impact 
of risks should they crystallise. This enables the Board to 
carry out a robust assessment of the risks facing the Group, 
including  those  principal  risks  that  would  threaten  its 
business model, future performance, solvency or liquidity.

As  it  is  not  possible  to  eliminate  risks  completely,  the 
purpose  of  the  Group’s  risk  management  policies  and 
procedures is not to eliminate risks, but to reduce them and 
to ensure that the Group is adequately prepared to respond 
to such risks and to minimise any impact if the risk develops.

18

RISKS AFFECTING THE GROUP
INVESTMENT MANAGER
The ability of the Group to achieve its investment objective 
depends  heavily  on  the  experience  of  the  management 
team within the Investment Manager and more generally 
on  the  Investment  Manager’s  ability  to  attract  and  retain 
suitable staff. The sustained growth of the Group depends 
upon  the  ability  of  the  Investment  Manager  to  identify, 
select  and  execute  further  investments  which  offer  the 
potential for satisfactory returns.

The Investment Management Agreement includes key man 
provisions  which  would  require  the  Investment  Manager 
to employ alternative staff with similar experience relating 
to  investment,  ownership,  financing  and  management  of 
renewable energy projects should, for any reason, any key 
man  cease  to  be  employed  by  the  Investment  Manager. 
The Investment Management Agreement ensures that no 
investments are made following the loss of key men until 
suitable replacements are found and there are provisions 
for a reduction in the investment management fee during 
the  loss  period.  It  also  outlines  the  process  for  their 
replacement  with  the  Board’s  approval.  The  key  men  are 
also shareholders in the Company.

REGULATORY RISK
The Investment Manager is the UK-authorised AIFM of the 
Company,  an  Irish  AIF.  Should  the  Investment  Manager 
cease to be authorised as an AIFM in the EU as a result of 
Brexit, the Company would need to appoint a replacement 
AIFM  and  could  suffer  losses  as  a  result  of  the  transition. 
The  Board  regularly  discusses  regulatory  risks  and  the 
Investment  Manager  reports  to  it  on  AIFMD  compliance 
matters. The Investment Manager also consults with its own 
and the Company’s legal adviser as well as the Company’s 
NOMAD in relation to its plans to ensure that the Company 
can continue to be AIFMD compliant after Brexit.

FINANCING RISK
The  Group  will  finance  further  investments  either  by 
borrowing  or  by  issuing  further  shares.  The  ability  of  the 
Group  to  deliver  enhanced  returns  and  consequently  to 
realise  expected  NAV  growth  is  dependent  on  access  to 
debt facilities and equity capital markets. There can be no 
assurance that the Group will be able to borrow additional 
amounts or refinance on reasonable terms or that there will 
be a market for further shares.

INVESTMENT RETURNS BECOME UNATTRACTIVE
A  significantly  strengthening  economy  may 
lead  to 
higher  future  interest  rates  which  could  make  the  listed 
infrastructure  asset  class  relatively 
less  attractive  to 
investors. In such circumstances, it is likely that there will be 
an increase in inflation (to which the revenues and costs of 
the investee companies are either indexed or significantly 
correlated) or an increase in power prices (due to greater 
consumption of power) or both. Both would increase the 
investment  return  and  thus  would  provide  a  degree  of 
mitigation against higher future interest rates.

GREENCOATRENEWABLESHEAD_0 1st lineHEAD_0 1st line continuedHEAD_0 2nd line2nd line continuedDirectors’ Report continued

RISKS AFFECTING INVESTEE COMPANIES
REGULATION
As the renewable energy market has matured and costs of 
new capacity have reduced, member states have generally 
revised their supports for the sector to reduce the benefits 
available  to  new  renewable  power  generation  projects. 
However, in order to maintain investor confidence, Ireland 
(and other relevant countries) have to date largely ensured 
that  benefits  already  granted  to  operating  renewable 
energy  generation  projects  (which  the  Group  is  invested 
in)  are  exempt  from  future  regulatory  change  adversely 
affecting those benefits.

If these policies were to change, such that subsidy supports 
presently  available  to  the  renewable  energy  sector  were 
to  be  reduced  or  discontinued,  it  could  have  a  material 
adverse effect on the business, financial position, results of 
operations and future growth prospects of the Group, as 
well as returns to investors.

ELECTRICITY PRICES
Since  1995,  Ireland  has  provided  operating  wind  farms 
with  a  supportive  regulatory  framework  (REFIT  1  and 
REFIT  2)  offering  an  inflation  linked  floor  price  up  to  15 
years,  while  allowing  wind  farms  to  capture  prices  above 
the  floor.  Under  REFIT,  wind  farms  are  provided  with 

pricing certainty and no downside exposure to electricity 
price  as  the  REFIT  price  is  c€80/MWh  whereas  the  2017 
Irish wholesale electricity price was €47/MWh. 

When operating outside of REFIT (at the latest December 
2027 for REFIT1 or December 2030 for REFIT2 contracted 
wind farms), the Group may trade in the relevant electricity 
market on a merchant basis and its financial performance 
would be therefore subject to the wholesale power price 
prevalent at the time. In general, independent forecasters 
expect  Irish  wholesale  power  prices  to  rise  in  real  terms 
from  current  levels,  driven  by  higher  gas  and  carbon 
prices.  A  difference  in  the  achieved  wholesale  price  of 
electricity to that which is expected could have a material 
adverse  effect  on  the  business,  financial  position,  results 
of operation and future growth prospects of the Group, as 
well as returns to investors.

WIND RESOURCE
The  investee  companies’  revenues  are  dependent  upon 
wind conditions, which will vary across seasons and years 
within  statistical  parameters.  The  standard  deviation  of 
energy production is 10 per cent. over a 12 month period 
(2 per cent. over 25 years). Since long term variability is low, 
there is no significant diversification benefit to be gained 
from geographical diversification across weather systems.

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Directors’ Report continued

RISKS AFFECTING INVESTEE COMPANIES 
CONTINUED
WIND RESOURCE CONTINUED
The  Group  does  not  have  any  control  over  the  wind 
resource  and  has  designed  its  dividend  policy  such 
that  it  can  withstand  significant  short  term  variability  in 
production relating to wind. Before investment, the Group 
carries out extensive due diligence and relevant historical 
wind data is available over a substantial period of time. The 
other component of wind energy generation, a wind farm’s 
ability  to  turn  wind  into  energy,  is  mitigated  by  generally 
purchasing wind farms with a proven operating track record.

When acquiring wind farms that have only recently entered 
into operation, only limited operational data is available. 
In  these  instances,  the  acquisition  agreements  with  the 
vendors of these wind farms may include a ‘‘wind energy 
true-up’’  which  would  apply  once  at  least  one  year’s 
operational data has become available or the acquisition 
price would be adjusted to reflect wind uncertainty. Under 
this true-up, the net load factor will be reforecast based on 
all available data and the purchase price will be adjusted, 
subject to de minimis thresholds and caps.

ASSET LIFE
Wind turbines may have shorter lives than their expected 
life-span of 25 years. In the event that the wind turbines do 
not operate for the period of time assumed by the Group 
in  its  business  model  or  require  higher  than  expected 
maintenance expenditure to do so, it could have a material 
adverse effect on investment returns.

The  Group  invests  in  companies  that  own  operating  wind 
farms with an appropriate track record. The Group performs 
regular reviews and ensures that maintenance is performed 
on all wind turbines across the wind farm portfolio. Regular 
maintenance ensures the wind turbines are in good working 
order, consistent with their expected life-spans.

MARKET STRUCTURE CHANGE (I-SEM)
The  island  of  Ireland  has  a  wholesale  electricity  market, 
the  SEM,  which  is  a  gross  mandatory  pool  market, 
centrally  dispatched,  where  the  licensed  transmission 
system  operators  are  responsible  for  forecasting  wind 
and demand. As a consequence, wind generators are not 
“balance responsible”. The regulatory authorities in Ireland 
and  Northern  Ireland  are  developing  a  new  integrated 
single electricity market, I-SEM, which will align SEM with 
electricity markets across Europe and is expected to go live 
in 2018. One of the material changes is that it introduces 
“balance responsibility” wind generators. This introduces 
a potential cost to the wind operators. There are examples 
from comparable markets, such as United Kingdom, where 
a similar framework is in place.

It  is  anticipated  that  the  Group  would  contract  with 
third  party  service  providers  with  relevant  experience 
to  manage  this  risk.  However  the  present  uncertainty  as 
to  how  balance  responsibility  will  be  addressed  and  the 
structuring  of  the  underlying  “balancing”  market  could 
have an adverse effect on the Group.

HEALTH AND SAFETY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
The physical location, operation and maintenance of wind 
farms  may,  if  inappropriately  assessed  and  managed, 
pose health and safety risks to those involved. Wind farm 
operation and maintenance may result in physical injury or 
industrial accidents, particularly if an individual were to fall 
from height, fall or be crushed in transit from a vessel to 
an offshore installation or be electrocuted. If an accident 
were  to  occur  in  relation  to  one  or  more  of  the  Group’s 
investments and if the Group were deemed to be at fault, 
the Group could be liable for damages or compensation 
to the extent such loss is not covered by insurance policies. 
In  addition,  adverse  publicity  or  reputational  damage 
could ensue.

The Board reviews health and safety at each of its scheduled 
Board  meetings  and  Kevin  McNamara  serves  as  the 
appointed Health and Safety Director. The Group engages 
an independent health and safety consultant to ensure the 
ongoing appropriateness of its health and safety policies.

Wind  farms  have  the  potential  to  cause  environmental 
hazards  or  nuisances  to  their  local  human  populations, 
flora  and  fauna  and  the  surrounding  natural  environment. 
Wind  farms  can  receive  complaints  relating  to  specific 
environmental issues, or compliance with planning consents 
and  other  relevant  permits.  Separately,  the  planning 
regulations  in  Ireland  historically  included  a  planning 
exemption  for  underground  grid  connections.  There  have 
been challenges to the basis on which this exemption has 
been determined and there is currently uncertainty around 
how  the  industry  will  resolve  this  challenge.  The  Group 
continues to monitor any development, taking legal advice 
where necessary, and addresses these as and when required.

GOING CONCERN AND FINANCIAL RISK
The  Group’s  business  activities,  together  with  the  factors 
likely  to  affect  its  future  development,  performance  and 
position, are set out in the Investment Manager’s Report. 
The Group faces a number of risks and uncertainties, as set 
out above. Details of the financial instruments used along 
with the financial risk management objectives and policies 
of the Group, including exposure to price risk, interest rate 
risk, credit risk and liquidity risk are discussed in note 17 to 
the consolidated financial statements.

The  Group  continues  to  meet  day-to-day  liquidity  needs 
through its cash resources.

As at 31 December 2017, the Group had net current assets 
of  €16.5  million  and  had  cash  balances  of  €14.8  million 
(excluding cash balances within investee companies), which 
are sufficient to meet current obligations as they fall due. 
The  major  cash  outflows  of  the  Group  are  costs  relating 
to  the  acquisition  of  new  assets,  which  are  discretionary. 
Future major cash outflows of the Group will be payment 
of dividends, which are also discretionary.

The  Group  had  €71.2  million  of  outstanding  debt  as  at 
31 December 2017. The Group is expected to continue to 
comply  with  the  covenants  of  its  banking  facilities  going 
forward.

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GOING CONCERN AND FINANCIAL RISK 
CONTINUED
The  Directors  have  reviewed  Group 
forecasts  and 
projections which cover a period of not less than 12 months 
from the date of this report, taking into account foreseeable 
changes  in  investment  and  trading  performance,  which 
show that the Group has sufficient financial resources.

On the basis of this review, and after making due enquiries, 
the  Directors  have  a  reasonable  expectation  that  the 
Company  and  the  Group  have  adequate  resources  to 
continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. 
Accordingly,  they  continue  to  adopt  the  going  concern 
basis in preparing the consolidated financial statements.

DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION TO INDEPENDENT 
AUDITOR 
The  Directors  believe  that  they  have  taken  all  steps 
necessary to make themselves aware of any relevant audit 
information and have established that the Group’s statutory 
auditors are aware of that information. In so far as they are 
aware at the time that this report was approved, there is no 
relevant  audit  information  of  which  the  Group’s  statutory 
auditors are unaware.

AUDITOR
BDO, Statutory Audit Firm, were appointed auditors during 
the financial period and have expressed their willingness to 
continue in office in accordance with Section 383 (2) of the 
Companies Act, 2014. 

The  Directors  will  propose  the  reappointment  of  BDO  as 
the  Company’s  auditor  and  resolutions  concerning  this 
and  the  remuneration  of  the  Company’s  auditor  will  be 
proposed at the AGM.

AUDIT COMMITTEE 
Pursuant  to  the  Company’s  articles  of  association  the 
Board  had  established  an  Audit  Committee  that  in  all 
material  respects  meets  the  requirements  of  Section  167 
of  the  Companies  Act  2014.  The  Audit  Committee  was 
fully constituted and active during the period from IPO to 
31  December  2017.  For  more  information,  see  the  Audit 
Committee Report on pages 29 to 31.

ANNUAL ACCOUNTS
The Board is of the opinion that the Annual Report, taken 
as  a  whole,  is  fair,  balanced  and  understandable  and 
provides  the  information  necessary  for  shareholders  to 
assess  the  performance,  strategy  and  business  model  of 
the Company.

The  Directors  recommend  that  the  Annual  Report,  the 
Directors’  Report  and  the  Independent  Auditor’s  Report 
for the period ended 31 December 2017 are received and 
adopted by the shareholders and a resolution concerning 
this will be proposed at the AGM.

ACCOUNTING RECORDS
The  Directors  believe  they  have  complied  with  the 
requirements  of  Section  281  to  Section  285  of  the 
Companies  Act,  2014  with  regard  to  accounting  records 
by employing accounting personnel with the appropriate 
expertise  and  by  providing  adequate  resources  to  the 
financial function. The accounting records of the Company 
are  maintained  by  Northern  Trust  International  Fund 
(Ireland)  Limited  at  Georges 
Administration  Services 
Court, 54-62 Townsend Street, Dublin 2, Ireland.

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
Significant  subsequent  events  have  been  disclosed  in 
note  21 to the consolidated financial statements.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 
The Corporate Governance Report on pages 26 to 28 form 
part of this report. 

DIRECTORS AND COMPANY SECRETARY
The following Directors held office as at 31 December 2017: 

DIRECTORS
Rónán Murphy (non-executive Chairman)
Emer Gilvarry (non-executive Director)
Kevin McNamara (non-executive Director)

COMPANY SECRETARY
Andrea Finegan

The  biographical  details  of  the  Directors  are  set  out  on 
page 15 of this Annual Report.

CHANGES IN DIRECTORS DURING THE YEAR
Bertrand  Gautier,  Paul  O’Donnell  and  Andrea  Finegan 
resigned  as  Directors  of  the  Board  on  16  June  2017. 
Rónán Murphy, Emer Gilvarry and Kevin McNamara were 
appointed to the Board on 16 June 2017. Each will stand 
for  re-appointment  at  the  Company’s  Annual  General 
Meeting on 26 April 2018.

DIRECTORS’ AND COMPANY SECRETARY INTERESTS 
IN SHARES IN THE COMPANY
Directors’ and Company Secretary’s interests in Company 
shares as at 31 December 2017 are detailed below. 

The Directors and the Company Secretary had no interests 
in the share capital at their date of appointment.

Shareholder 

Rónán Murphy

Kevin McNamara 

Emer Gilvarry

Andrea Finegan

Ordinary shares of 
€0.01 each held as at
31 December 2017

100,000

50,000

Nil

Nil

The Company does not have any share option scheme in 
place.

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Directors’ Report continued

DIVIDEND
The  Board  is  recommending  a  total  aggregate  dividend 
of  €7,047,000,  equivalent  to  2.61  cent  per  share  to  be 
declared on 1 March 2018 with respect to the period from 
IPO to 31 December 2017. 

While  the  Directors  have  no  reason  to  believe  that  the 
Group  will  not  be  viable  over  a  longer  period,  they  are 
conscious that it would be difficult to foresee the economic 
viability of any company with any degree of certainty for a 
period of time greater than 10 years. 

POLITICAL DONATIONS
No  political  donations  were  made  during  the  period 
ending 31 December 2017.

LONGER TERM VIABILITY 
As further disclosed on page 25 the Company is a member 
of the AIC and complies with the AIC Code. In accordance 
with  the  AIC  Code,  the  Directors  are  required  to  assess 
the prospects of the Group over a period longer than the 
12  months  associated  with  going  concern.  The  Directors 
conducted  this  review  for  a  period  of  10  years,  which  it 
deemed  appropriate,  given  the  long  term  nature  of  the 
Group’s  investments  which  are  modelled  over  25  years, 
coupled with its long term strategic planning horizon.

In  considering  the  prospects  of  the  Group,  the  Directors 
looked  at  the  key  risks  facing  both  the  Group  and  the 
investee companies, focusing on the likelihood and impact 
of each risk as well as any key contracts, future events or 
timescales that may be assigned to each key risk. 

As  a  sector-focused  infrastructure  fund,  the  Group  aims 
to  produce  stable  and  progressive  dividends  while 
preserving the capital value of its investment portfolio on 
a  real  basis.  The  Directors  believe  that  the  Group  is  well 
placed to manage its business risks successfully over both 
the  short  and  long  term  and  accordingly,  the  Board  has 
a  reasonable  expectation  that  the  Group  will  be  able  to 
continue in operation and to meet its liabilities as they fall 
due for a period of at least 10 years. 

DIRECTORS’ COMPLIANCE STATEMENT
The  Directors,  in  accordance  with  Section  225(2)(a)  of 
the  Companies  Act  2014,  acknowledge  that  they  are 
responsible  for  securing  the  Company’s  compliance  with 
its  “relevant  obligations”.  “Relevant  obligations”  in  the 
context  for  the  Company,  are  the  Company’s  obligations 
under:

•  The  Companies  Act  2014,  where  a  breach  of  the 
obligations  would  be  a  category  1  or  category  2 
offence.

•  The  Companies  Act  2014,  where  a  breach  of  the 
obligation  would  be  a  serious  Market  Abuse  or 
Prospectus offence.

•  Tax law.

Pursuant to Section 225(2)(b) of the Companies Act 2014, 
the Directors confirm that:

•  A compliance policy statement has been drawn up by 
the  Company  in  accordance  with  Section  225(3)(a)  of 
the  Companies  Act  2014  setting  out  the  Company’s 
policies (that, in the directors’ opinion, are appropriate 
to  the  Company)  respecting  compliance  by  the 
Company with its relevant obligations.

•  Appropriate arrangements and structures that in their 
opinion,  are  designed  to  secure  material  compliance 
with  the  Company’s  relevant  obligations,  have  been 
put in place; and

•  A  review  has  been  conducted,  during  the  financial 
period, of the arrangements and structures referred to 
above.

By order of the Board

Rónán Murphy 
Director 

Kevin McNamara 
Director

28 February 2018 

28 February 2018

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Directors’ 

Remuneration 

Report

Directors’ Remuneration Report

This  report  has  been  prepared  by  the  Directors  in 
accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 
2014. A resolution to consider the Directors’ Remuneration 
Report will be proposed at the AGM.

The  Company’s  Auditor  is  required  to  give  their  opinion 
on  the  information  provided  on  Directors’  remuneration 
on this page and this is explained further  in  its  report  to 
shareholders  on  pages  32  to  34.  The  remainder  of  this 
report is outside the scope of the external audit.

ANNUAL STATEMENT FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF 
THE BOARD
The Board, which is profiled on page 15, consists solely of 
non-executive  Directors  and  is  considered  to  be  entirely 
independent.  The  Board  considers  at  least  annually  the 
level of the Board’s fees, in accordance with the AIC Code.

REMUNERATION POLICY
As  at  the  date  of  this  report,  the  Board  comprised  3 
Directors, all of whom are non-executive. The Company has 
established a Remuneration Committee which comprises 
all of the Directors and the Chair is Emer Gilvarry.

Each of the Directors was appointed to the Remuneration 
Committee  with  effect  from  25  June  2017,  the  date  of 
listing on ESM of the Irish Stock Exchange and AIM of the 
London  Stock  Exchange.  The  Remuneration  Committee 
did  not  meet  from  that  date  to  31  December  2017.  The 
Committee  shall  meet  at  such  times  as  the  Committee 
Chairman shall require.

Each Director receives a fixed fee per annum based on their 
roles and responsibility within the Company and the time 
commitment  required.  It  is  not  considered  appropriate 
that  Directors’  remuneration  should  be  performance 
related and none of the Directors are eligible for pension 
benefits,  share  options,  long  term  incentive  schemes  or 
other benefits in respect of their services as non-executive 
Directors of the Company. The total remuneration of non-
executive Directors has not exceeded the limit set out in 
the Articles of Association of the Company.

The Company’s Articles of Association empower the Board 
to  award  a  discretionary  bonus  where  any  Director  has 
been engaged in exceptional work on a time spent basis 
to  compensate  for  the  additional  time  spent  over  their 
expected time commitment.

All  of  the  Directors  have  been  provided  with  letters  of 
appointment which stipulate that their initial term shall be 
for 3 years, subject to re-election.

A Director’s appointment may at any time be terminated 
by  and  at  the  discretion  of  either  party  upon  6  months’ 
written notice. A Director’s appointment will automatically 
end  without  any  right  to  compensation  whatsoever  if 
they  are  not  re-elected  by  the  Shareholders.  A  Director’s 
appointment may also be terminated with immediate effect 
and without compensation in certain other circumstances.

The terms and conditions of appointment of non-executive 
Directors are available for inspection from the Company’s 
registered office.

The  Company’s  remuneration  policy  has  applied  from 
listing on 25 July 2017, and the Directors do not envisage 
any  changes  to  the  remuneration  policy  in  the  next 
accounting period. 

ANNUAL REPORT ON REMUNERATION
The table below (audited information) shows all 
remuneration earned by each individual Director during 
the period:

Date of 
Appointment

Directors’ 
fees 
per annum

Paid from 
appointment to 
31 December 
2017

16 June 2017

€100,000

€54,231

16 June 2017

16 June 2017

€50,000

€50,000

€27,115

€27,115

€108,461

Rónán Murphy 
(chairman)
Kevin McNamara

Emer Gilvarry

Total

None of the Directors received any other remuneration or 
additional discretionary payments during the period from 
the  Company.  None  of  Bertrand  Gautier,  Paul  O’Donnell 
or  Andrea  Finegan  received  any  fees  during  their  tenure 
on the Board. Each resigned from office on 16 June 2017.

On behalf of the Board,

The  Articles  of  Association  provide  that  Directors  retire 
and offer themselves for re-election at the first AGM after 
their appointment and at least every 3 years thereafter. In 
accordance with corporate governance best practice, the 
Company expects Directors to be re-elected annually.

Emer Gilvarry
Chair of the Remuneration Committee

28 February 2018

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Statement 

of Directors’ 

Responsibilities

Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities

WEBSITE PUBLICATION
The  Directors  are  responsible  for  ensuring  the  Annual 
Report  and  the  consolidated  financial  statements  are 
made  available  on  a  website.  Financial  statements  are 
published  on  the  Company’s  website  in  accordance  with 
legislation in Ireland and the UK governing the preparation 
and dissemination of financial statements, which may vary 
from  legislation  in  other  jurisdictions.  The  maintenance 
and integrity of the Company’s website is the responsibility 
of the Directors. The Directors’ responsibilities also extend 
to  the  ongoing  integrity  of  the  consolidated  financial 
statements contained therein.

By order of the Board

Rónán Murphy 
Director 

Kevin McNamara 
Director

28 February 2018 

28 February 2018

The  Directors  are  responsible  for  preparing  the  Annual 
Report  and  the  consolidated  financial  statements  in 
accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Irish  company  law  requires  the  Directors  to  prepare 
financial statements for each financial year. Under that law 
the Directors are required to prepare the Group financial 
statements,  and  have  elected  to  prepare  the  Company 
financial statements, in accordance with IFRS as adopted 
by  the  EU.  Under  company  law  the  Directors  must  not 
approve the consolidated financial statements unless they 
are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state 
of affairs of the Group and Company and of the profit or 
loss for the Group for that period.

In preparing these consolidated financial statements, the 
Directors are required to:

•  Select  suitable  accounting  policies  and  then  apply 

them consistently;

•  Make  judgements  and  accounting  estimates  that  are 

reasonable and prudent;

•  State whether they have been prepared in accordance 
with IFRS as adopted by the EU, subject to any material 
departures disclosed and explained in the consolidated 
financial statements;

•  Prepare  the  consolidated  financial  statements  on 
the  going  concern  basis  unless  it  is  inappropriate 
to  presume  that  the  Company  and  the  Group  will 
continue in business.

The  Directors  are  responsible  for  keeping  adequate 
accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain 
the Company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable 
accuracy at any time the financial position of the Company 
and enable them to ensure that the consolidated financial 
statements comply with the Companies Act 2014 and, as 
regards the Group financial statements, Article 4 of the IAS 
Regulation. They are also responsible for safeguarding the 
assets  of  the  Company  and  hence  for  taking  reasonable 
steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other 
irregularities.  The  Directors  are  responsible  for  ensuring 
that the Annual Report, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced, 
information 
and  understandable  and  provides 
the  Group’s 
to  assess 
for  shareholders 
necessary 
performance, business model and strategy.

the 

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Corporate 

Governance Report

Corporate Governance Report

This  Corporate  Governance  Report  forms  part  of  the 
Report  of  the  Directors  as  further  disclosed  on  pages  16 
to 22.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK
The Company is committed to high standards of corporate 
governance  and  the  Board  is  responsible  for  ensuring 
those  high  standards  are  achieved.  Companies  admitted 
to trading on AIM or ESM are not required to comply with 
the UK Code or Irish Annex, however they are required to 
disclose  the  corporate  governance  code  which  they  have 
decided  to  apply.  For  the  period  from  listing  on  25  July 
2017 to 31 December 2017, the Company was a member 
of  the  AIC  and  adopted  the  AIC  Code.  The  AIC  Code 
provides  boards  with  a  framework  of  best  practice  in 
respect of the governance of investment companies in the 
UK.  While  the  Company  is  not  an  ‘‘investment  company’’ 
under  the  Companies  Act,  the  Company  shares  key 
important characteristics with such companies e.g. it has no 
employees and the tasks of portfolio management and risk 
management  are  delegated  to  the  Investment  Manager. 
The  FRC  has  confirmed  that  investment  companies  who 
report  against  the  AIC  Code  and  follow  its  requirements 
will  also  be  meeting  their  obligations  under  the  UK 
Code  and  the  Irish  Corporate  Governance  Annex.  The 
Board considers that reporting against the principles and 
recommendations of the AIC Code, by reference to the AIC 
Guide, provides better information to Shareholders.

The text of the AIC Code and the AIC Guide are available 
on  the  AIC’s  website,  www.theaic.co.uk.  The  UK  Code  is 
available on the FRC’s website, www.frc.org.uk.

STATEMENT OF COMPLIANCE
The Board confirms that the Company has complied with 
the  AIC  Code  during  the  period  from  listing  on  25  July 
2017 to 31 December 2017.

THE BOARD
As  at  the  date  of  this  report,  the  Board  comprises  of  3 
non-executive  Directors,  all  of  whom  are  considered  to 
be independent of the Investment Manager and free from 
any  business  or  other  relationship  that  could  materially 
interfere with the exercise of their independent judgement. 
Directors’ details are contained in page 15, which sets out 
the range of investment, financial and business skills and 
experience represented. 

Greencoat  Renewables  DAC  was 
incorporated  on 
15 February 2017. The Directors appointed to Greencoat 
Renewables  DAC  from  incorporation:  Bertrand  Gautier 
(appointed 15 February 2017); Paul O’Donnell (appointed 
15 February 2017); and Andrea Finegan (appointed 3 March 
2017) all resigned on the 16 June 2017 in preparation for 
listing  of  the  Company  on  the  25  July  2017.  The  current 
Directors, detailed on page 15 were appointed on 16 June 
2017.

No external search consultancy or open advertisement was 
used in the recruitment of the Chairman or the Directors 
on  the  basis  that  the  Investment  Manager  had  access  to 
suitable  qualified  candidates  with  significant  knowledge 
of  the  business.  Therefore,  neither  an  external  search 
consultancy  nor  open  advertisement  would  add  value  in 
the circumstances.

DIRECTOR RE-ELECTION AND APPOINTMENT
The Articles of Association provide that Directors shall retire 
and offer themselves for re-election at the first AGM after 
their appointment and at least every 3 years thereafter. All 
of the Directors shall offer themselves for re-election at the 
forthcoming AGM. Having considered their effectiveness, 
demonstration of commitment to the role, attendance at 
meetings  and  contribution  to  the  Board’s  deliberations, 
the  Board  approves  the  nomination  for  re-election  of  all 
of the Directors.

Any  Director,  who  has  held  office  with  the  Company  for 
three consecutive 3-year terms, shall retire from office. This 
will allow for phased Board appointments and retirements 
and enable the Board to consider whether there is any risk 
that  such  Director  might  reasonably  be  deemed  to  have 
lost independence through such long service.

The terms and conditions of appointment of non-executive 
Directors are available for inspection from the Company’s 
registered office.

THE CHAIRMAN
The Chairman’s primary responsibility is to lead the Board 
and  to  ensure  its  effectiveness  both  collectively  and 
individually. The Chairman of the Board is Rónán Murphy. 
In  considering  the  independence  of  the  Chairman,  the 
Board took note of the provisions of the AIC Code relating 
to independence, and has determined that Mr. Murphy is 
an Independent Director. The Company has no employees 
and therefore there is no requirement for a chief executive.

DIVERSITY POLICY AND INDEPENDENCE
The Board has a policy to base appointments on merit and 
against objective criteria, with due regard for the benefits 
of  diversity,  including  gender  diversity.  Its  objective  is  to 
attract and maintain a Board that, as a whole, comprises an 
appropriate balance of skills and experience.

The  Board  consists  of  individuals  from  relevant  and 
complementary  backgrounds  offering  experience  on  the 
Board of listed companies, in financial and legal services 
as  well  as  in  the  energy  sector.  As  at  the  date  of  this 
report, the Board comprised 2 men and 1 woman, all non-
executive Directors who are considered to be independent 
of the Investment Manager and free from any business or 
other  relationship  that  could  materially  interfere  with  the 
exercise of their independent judgement.

The Investment Manager operates an equal opportunities 
policy and its partners and employees comprised 18 men 
and 10 women as of 31 December 2017.

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BOARD RESPONSIBILITIES
The Board will meet, on average, 4 times in each calendar 
year  for  scheduled  quarterly  Board  meetings  and  on  an 
ad  hoc  basis  where  necessary.  At  each  meeting  the  Board 
follows  a  formal  agenda  that  will  cover  the  business  to  be 
discussed including, but not limited to, strategy, performance 
and the framework of internal controls, as well as review its 
own  performance  and  composition.  Between  meetings 
there  is  regular  contact  with  the  Investment  Manager.  The 
Board  requires  to  be  supplied,  in  a  timely  manner,  with 
information by the Investment Manager, the Administrator, 
the Depositary and other advisers in a form and of a quality 
appropriate to enable it to discharge its duties. 

The  Board  is  responsible  for  the  determination  of  the 
Company’s  investment  objective  and  policy  and  has 
overall  responsibility  for  the  Company’s  activities.  The 
Company  has  entered  into  the  Investment  Management 
Agreement  with  the  Investment  Manager  pursuant  to 
which the Investment Manager is responsible for the day-
to-day management of the Company.

The  Board  has  established  procedures  which  provide 
a  reasonable  basis  for  the  Directors  to  make  proper 
judgement on an ongoing basis as to the financial position 
and prospects of the Company.

The  Investment  Manager  will  at  all  times  act  within  the 
parameters set out in the investment policy. The Investment 
Manager  reports  to  the  Board  and  keeps  the  Board 
appraised of material developments on an ongoing basis.

The Investment Manager is responsible for, among other 
things:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

 Management of the Portfolio and further investments;

 Identifying, evaluating and executing possible further 
investments;

 Risk management;

 Reporting to the Board;

 Calculating and publishing NAV, with the assistance of 
the Administrator;

 Assisting the Company in complying with its ongoing 
obligations as a company whose shares are admitted 
to trading on AIM and ESM; and

 Directing,  managing,  supervising  and  co-ordinating 
the Company’s third party service providers, including 
the  Depositary  and  the  Administrator,  in  accordance 
with prudent industry practice.

The Board has the ability to specify from time to time specific 
matters  that  require  prior  Board  approval  (‘‘Reserved 
Matters’’)  or  specific  matters  that  it  believes  ought  to  be 
brought  to  the  Board’s  attention  as  part  of  the  general 
reporting  process  between  the  Investment  Manager  and 
the Board. The initial list of Reserved Matters specified by 
the  Board  includes  entry  into  markets  other  than  those 
located in the Republic of Ireland, entry into transactions 
other  than  those  involving  operational  onshore  wind 

assets, entry into any acquisitions increasing GAV by more 
than 50% and entry into material new financing facilities.

The Investment Manager shall once every calendar quarter 
submit to the Board a report of activities, investments and 
performance  of  the  Company,  including  progress  of  all 
investments,  details  of  the  pipeline  of  acquisitions  and 
any disposals and, in addition, shall promptly report to the 
Board  any  other  information  which  could  reasonably  be 
considered to be material.

COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD
The  Company’s  Audit  Committee  is  chaired  by  Kevin 
McNamara, and consists of a minimum of 2 members. Emer 
Gilvarry is the second member of the Audit Committee. In 
accordance with best practice, the Company’s Chairman is 
not a member of the Audit Committee, however he does 
attend Audit Committee meetings as and when deemed 
appropriate.  The  Audit  Committee  report  which  is  on 
pages  29  to  31  of  this  Report  describes  the  work  of  the 
Audit Committee.

The Company has established a Management Engagement 
Committee,  which  comprises  all  the  Directors  and  the 
Chair  is  Rónán  Murphy.  The  Management  Engagement 
Committee will meet at least once a year. The Management 
Engagement Committee’s main function is to keep under 
review  the  performance  of  the  Investment  Manager  and 
examine the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control 
systems  and  review  and  make  recommendations  on  any 
proposed  amendment  to  the  Investment  Management 
Agreement.  The  Management  Engagement  Committee 
will also perform a review of the performance of other key 
service providers to the Group.

Terms  of  Reference  for  the  Management  Engagement 
Committee have been approved by the Board. Additional 
members of the committee may be appointed and existing 
members  removed  by  the  committee.  The  membership 
of the committee is reviewed by the Board on a periodic 
basis and at least once a year.

In  accordance  with  the  AIC  Code,  the  Company  has  also 
set  up  Remuneration  and  Nomination  Committees.  The 
Remuneration Committee comprises of all the Directors and 
the Chair is Emer Gilvarry. The Remuneration Committee’s 
main  functions  are  to  determine  and  agree  the  Board 
policy  for  the  remuneration  of  the  Directors  and  review 
and  consider  any  additional  ad  hoc  payments  in  relation 
to duties undertaken over and above normal business. The 
Remuneration Committee will meet at least once a year.

The  Nomination  Committee  comprises  all  of 
the 
Directors and the Chair is Rónán Murphy. The Nomination 
Committee’s main function is to review the structure, size 
and  composition  of  the  Board  regularly  and  to  consider 
succession  planning 
for  Directors.  The  Nomination 
Committee will meet at least once a year. Given that the 
Board  has  been  in  place  for  six  months,  the  Nomination 
Committee has not meet during the period 31 December 
2017  and  as  a  result  has  not  prepared  a  Nomination 
Committee report.

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BOARD MEETINGS, COMMITTEE MEETINGS AND 
DIRECTORS’ ATTENDANCE
A  schedule  of  Board  and  Audit  Committee  meetings  is 
circulated  to  the  Board  one  year  ahead  including  the  key 
agenda  items  for  each  meeting.  For  other  Committees 
meetings are arranged as and when required. The number of 
meetings of the full Board of the PLC attended in the period 
to 31 December 2017 by each Director is set out below:

Scheduled Board 
Meetings 
(Total of 5) 

Audit Committee 
Meetings 
(Total of 2) 

5

5

5

2

2

2

Rónán Murphy

Emer Gilvarry

Kevin McNamara

This excludes the Board meetings which took place before 
the Company was listed. The Nominations, Remuneration 
and Management Engagement Committees did not meet 
during the period from 25 July 2017 to 31 December 2017.

BOARD PERFORMANCE AND EVALUATION
Performance and evaluation pursuant to Principle 7 of the 
AIC  Code,  the  Board  intends  to  undertake  a  formal  and 
rigorous evaluation of its performance each financial year. 
The first review is due to be undertaken in June 2018.

Each 
individual  Directors’  training  and  development 
needs are reviewed annually. All new Directors received an 
induction, including being provided with information about 
the Company and their responsibilities and meetings with 
the  Investment  Manager.  In  addition,  each  Director  will 
visit operational sites and specific Board training days are 
arranged involving presentations on relevant topics.

DIRECTORS’ INDEMNITY
Directors’ and Officers’ liability insurance cover is in place 
in  respect  of  the  Directors.  The  Company’s  articles  of 
association  provide,  subject  to  the  provisions  of  Ireland 
and  UK  legislation,  an  indemnity  for  Directors  in  respect 
of  costs  which  they  may  incur  relating  to  the  defence  of 
any  proceedings  brought  against  them  arising  out  of 
their positions as Directors, in which they are acquitted or 
judgement is given in their favour by the Court.

Except  for  such  indemnity  provisions  in  the  Company’s 
articles  of  association  and  in  the  Directors’  letters  of 
appointment, there are no qualifying third party indemnity 
provisions in force.

THE INVESTMENT MANAGER
The Board has entered into the Investment Management 
Agreement  with  the  Investment  Manager  under  which 
the  Investment  Manager  is  responsible  for  developing 
strategy and the day-to-day management of the Group’s 
investment  portfolio,  in  accordance  with  the  Group’s 
investment  objective  and  policy,  subject  to  the  overall 
supervision  of  the  Board.  A  summary  of  the  fees  paid  to 
the Investment Manager are given in note 3 to the financial 
statements

The  Investment  Manager’s  appointment  is  for  an  initial 
term of 5 years from the admission date (25 July 2017). The 
Investment  Management  Agreement  may  be  terminated 
by  either  party  on  the  conclusion  of  the  initial  term 
provided  the  party  purporting  to  terminate  provides  not 
less than 12 months prior written notice of its intention to 
terminate  the  agreement.  The  Investment  Management 
Agreement may be terminated with immediate effect and 
without compensation, by either the Investment Manager 
or the Company if the other party has gone into liquidation, 
administration or receivership or has committed a material 
breach of the Investment Management Agreement.

RISK MANAGEMENT AND INTERNAL CONTROL
The  Board  is  responsible  for  the  Company’s  system 
of  internal  control  and  for  reviewing  its  effectiveness. 
The  Board  confirms  that  it  has  an  ongoing  process  for 
identifying, evaluating and managing the significant risks 
faced by the Company.

The  Company’s  principal  risks  and  uncertainties  are 
detailed  on  pages  18  to  21  of  this  report.  As  further 
explained in the Audit Committee Report, the risks of the 
Company are outlined in a risk matrix which was reviewed 
and  updated  during  the  period.  The  Board  continually 
reviews  its  policy  setting  and  updates  the  risk  matrix 
annually  to  ensure  that  procedures  are  in  place  with  the 
intention  of  identifying,  mitigating  and  minimising  the 
impact of risks should they crystallise. The Board relies on 
reports periodically provided by the Investment Manager, 
the Depositary and the Administrator regarding risks that 
the Company faces. When required, experts are employed 
to gather information, including tax and legal advisers. The 
Board also regularly monitors the investment environment 
and  the  management  of  the  Company’s  portfolio,  and 
applies  the  principles  detailed  in  the  internal  control 
guidance issued by the FRC.

The principal features of the internal control systems which 
the  Investment  Manager  and  the  Administrator  have  in 
place in respect of the Group’s financial reporting include:

• 

Internal reviews of all financial reports;

•  Review by the Board of financial information prior to its 

publication; and

•  Authorisation  limits  over  expenditure  incurred  by  the 

Group;

INFORMATION AND SUPPORT
The  Board  can  seek  independent  professional  advice  on 
a matter, at the Company’s expense, where they judge it 
necessary  to  discharge  their  responsibilities  as  Directors. 
The Committees of the Board are provided with sufficient 
resources  to  undertake  their  duties.  The  Directors  have 
access  to  the  services  of  the  Company  Secretary  and 
assistant  Company  Secretary,  who  are  responsible  for 
ensuring that Board procedures are followed.

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WHISTLEBLOWING
The Board has considered the AIC Code recommendations 
in respect of arrangements by which staff of the Investment 
Manager  or  Administrator  may,  in  confidence,  raise 
concerns  within  their  respective  organisations  about 
possible  improprieties  in  matters  of  financial  reporting 
or  other  matters. 
It  has  concluded  that  adequate 
arrangements  are  in  place  for  the  proportionate  and 
independent  investigation  of  such  matters  and,  where 
necessary,  for  appropriate  follow-up  action  to  be  taken 
within their organisation.

AMENDMENT OF ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
The  Company’s  Articles  of  Association  may  be  amended 
by  the  members  of  the  Company  by  special  resolution 
(requiring a majority of at least 75 per cent. of the persons 
voting on the relevant resolution).

GENERAL MEETINGS
The Company shall hold in each year a general meeting as 
its annual general meeting in addition to any other meeting 
in  that  year  and  shall  specify  the  meeting  as  such  in  the 
notice  calling  it.  All  general  meetings  other  than  annual 
general  meetings  shall  be  called  extraordinary  general 
meetings.  The  Directors  may  convene  general  meetings. 
Extraordinary general meetings may also be convened on 
such requisition, or in default, may be convened by such 
requisitionists as provided by the Companies Act 2014.

All  business  shall  be  deemed  special  that  is  transacted 
at  an  extraordinary  general  meeting.  All  business  that 
is  transacted  at  an  annual  general  meeting  shall  also 
be  deemed  special,  with  the  exception  of  declaring  a 
dividend,  the  consideration  of  the  Company’s  statutory 
financial  statements  and  reports  of  the  Directors  and 
auditors,  the  review  by  the  members  of  the  Company’s 
affairs, the appointment of Directors in the place of those 
retiring  (whether  by  rotation  or  otherwise),  the  fixing  of 
the remuneration of the Directors subject to sections 380 
and  382  to  385  of  the  Companies  Act,  the  appointment 
and re-appointment of the auditors and the fixing of the 
remuneration of the auditors.

Every  member  entitled  to  attend  and  vote  at  a  general 
meeting  may  appoint  a  proxy  to  attend,  speak  and  vote 
on  his  behalf  provided,  however,  that  a  member  may 
appoint more than one proxy provided that each proxy is 
appointed  to  exercise  the  rights  attached  to  shares  held 
in  different  securities  accounts.  The  holders  of  ordinary 
shares have the right to receive notice of and attend and 
vote at all general meetings of the Company and they are 
entitled, on a poll or a show of hands, to one vote for every 
ordinary share they hold.

Votes may be given either personally or by proxy. Subject 
to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to 
any class or classes of shares and subject to any suspension 
or abrogation of rights pursuant to the Articles, on a show 
of hands every member present in person and every proxy 
shall  have  one  vote,  so,  however,  that  no  individual  shall 
have  more  than  one  vote,  and  on  a  poll  every  member 
shall have one vote for every share carrying rights of which 
he is the holder. On a poll a member entitled to more than 
one vote need not cast all his votes or cast all the votes he 
uses in the same way.

RELATIONS WITH SHAREHOLDERS
The  Company  welcomes  the  views  of  shareholders  and 
places  great  importance  on  communication  with  its 
shareholders. Senior members of the Investment Manager 
make themselves available at all reasonable times to meet 
with  principal  shareholders  and  key  sector  analysts.  The 
Chairman  and  other  Directors  are  also  available  to  meet 
with shareholders if required.

All shareholders have the opportunity to put questions to 
the Company at the registered address. The AGM of the 
Company  will  provide  a  forum  for  shareholders  to  meet 
and  discuss  issues  with  the  Directors  and  Investment 
Manager.

The  Board  receives  shareholder  reports  at  all  quarterly 
Board  meetings  and  regularly  monitors  the  views  of 
shareholders and the shareholder profile of the Company. 
The Board is also kept fully informed of all relevant market 
commentary on the Company by the Investment Manager.

Shareholders  may  also  find  Company  information  or 
contact the Company through its website: www.greencoat-
renewables.com.

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Report

Audit Committee Report

During the period from listing to 31 December 2017, the 
Audit Committee comprised Kevin McNamara (Chairman), 
and Emer Gilvarry. The AIC Code has a requirement that 
at least one member of the Audit Committee should have 
recent  and  relevant  financial  experience  and  the  Audit 
Committee as a whole shall have competence relevant to 
the sector. The Board is satisfied that the Audit Committee 
is properly constituted in these respects. The qualifications 
and  experience  of  all  Audit  Committee  members  are 
disclosed on page 15 of this report.

The Audit Committee operates within clearly defined terms 
of reference which were reviewed during the financial year. 
The  revised  terms  have  been  approved  by  the  Board, 
and  include  all  matters  indicated  by  the  AIC  Code  and 
are  available  for  inspection  on  the  Company’s  website:  
www.greencoat-renewables.com.

Audit Committee meetings are scheduled at appropriate 
times in the reporting and auditing cycle. The Chairman, 
other Directors and third parties may be invited to attend 
meetings as and when deemed appropriate.

MEETINGS 
The  Audit  Committee  met  2  times  up  to  31  December 
2017. A breakdown of Director attendance is set out in the 
Corporate Governance Report on page 27. BDO attended 
2 of the 3 formal Audit Committee meetings held during 
the period from incorporation to the date of this report.

SUMMARY OF THE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF 
THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
The duties of the Audit Committee include reviewing the 
Interim  report,  Annual  Report  and  financial  statements 
and any formal announcements relating to the Company’s 
financial performance.

The  Audit  Committee  is  the  forum  through  which  the 
external  auditor  reports  to  the  Board  and  is  responsible 
for  reviewing  the  terms  of  appointment  of  the  Auditor, 
together  with  their  remuneration.  On  an  ongoing  basis, 
the  Audit  Committee  is  responsible  for  reviewing  the 
objectivity  of  the  Auditor  along  with  the  effectiveness  of 
the audit and the terms under which the Auditor is engaged 
to  perform  non-audit  services.  The  Audit  Committee  is 
also  responsible  for  reviewing  the  Company’s  corporate 
governance framework, system of internal controls and risk 
management, ensuring they are suitable for an investment 
company.

The  Audit  Committee  reports  its  findings  to  the  Board, 
identifying any matters on which it considers that action or 
improvement is needed, and make recommendations on 
the steps to be taken.

OVERVIEW
During  the  period,  the  Audit  Committee’s  discussions 
have  been  broad  ranging.  In  addition  to  the  4  formally 
convened Audit Committee meetings from incorporation 
to  the  date  of  this  report,  the  Audit  Committee  has 
had  regular  contact  and  meetings  with  the  Investment 
Manager,  and  the  Administrator.  These  meetings  and 
discussions focused on, but were not limited to:

•  Reviewing the updated risk matrix of the Company;

•  Reviewing  the  Company’s  corporate  governance 

framework;

•  Reviewing  the  internal  controls  framework  for  the 
Company,  the  Administrator  and  the 
Investment 
Manager, considering the need for a separate internal 
audit function;

•  Considering  incidents  of  fraud  and  the  Company’s 

response thereto;

•  Considering the ongoing assessment of the Company 

as a going concern;

•  Considering the principal risks and period of assessment 

for the longer term viability of the Company;

•  Monitoring  the  ongoing  appropriateness  of  the 
Company’s  status  as  an  investment  entity  under  IFRS 
10, in particular following an acquisition;

•  Monitoring compliance with AIFMD, the AIC code and 

other regulatory and governance frameworks;

•  Reviewing and approving the audit plan in relation to 
the audit of the Company’s Annual Report and financial 
statements;

•  Monitoring compliance with the Company’s policy on 
the provision of non-audit services by the Auditor; and

•  Reviewing  the  effectiveness,  resources,  qualifications 

and independence of the Auditor.

FINANCIAL REPORTING
The  primary  role  of  the  Audit  Committee  in  relation 
to  financial  reporting  is  to  review,  with  the  Investment 
Manager, 
the 
appropriateness of the Interim Report and Annual Report 
and financial statements, concentrating on, amongst other 
matters:

the  Administrator  and 

the  Auditor, 

•  The  quality  and  acceptability  of  accounting  policies 

and practices;

•  The  clarity  of  the  disclosures  and  compliance  with 
financial reporting standards and relevant financial and 
governance reporting requirements;

•  Amendments to legislation and corporate governance 
reporting  requirements  and  accounting  treatment  of 
new transactions in the period;

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FINANCIAL REPORTING CONTINUED
•  The impact of new and amended accounting standards 

on the Company’s financial statements;

•  Whether  the  Audit  Committee  believes  that  proper 
and appropriate processes and procedures have been 
followed in the preparation of the Interim Report and 
Annual Report and financial statements;

•  Consideration  and  recommending  to  the  Board 
for  approval  of  the  contents  of  the  annual  financial 
statements and reviewing the Auditors’ report thereon 
including  consideration  of  whether  the  consolidated 
financial  statements  are  overall  fair,  balanced  and 
understandable;

•  Material  areas  in  which  significant  judgements  have 
been  applied  or  there  has  been  discussion  with  the 
Auditor; and

•  Any correspondence from regulators in relation to the 

Company’s financial reporting.

Matters typically discussed include the Auditor’s assessment 
of the transparency and openness of interactions with the 
Investment  Manager  and  the  Administrator,  confirmation 
that  there  has  been  no  restriction  in  scope  placed  on 
them, the independence of their audit and how they have 
exercised professional scepticism.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
The  Audit  Committee  discussed  the  planning,  conduct 
and conclusions of the external audit as it proceeded. At 
the  Audit  Committee  meeting  in  advance  of  the  period 
end,  the  Audit  Committee  discussed  and  approved  the 
Auditor’s  audit  plan.  The  Audit  Committee  identified 
the  fair  value  of  investments  as  a  key  area  of  risk  of 
misstatement in the Company’s financial statements.

ASSESSMENT OF THE FAIR VALUE OF INVESTMENTS
The Group’s accounting policy is to designate investments 
at  fair  value  through  profit  or  loss.  Therefore,  the  most 
significant  risk  in  the  Group’s  accounts  is  whether  its 
investments are fairly valued due to the uncertainty involved 
in determining the investment valuations. There is also an 
inherent  risk  of  management  override  as  the  Investment 
Manager’s  fee  is  calculated  based  on  NAV  as  disclosed 
in  note  3  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements.  The 
Investment Manager is responsible for calculating the NAV 
with  the  assistance  of  the  Administrator,  in  accordance 
with its valuation policy and is subject to the approval of its 
valuation committee.

On a quarterly basis, the Investment Manager provides a 
detailed analysis of the NAV highlighting any movements 
and assumption changes from the previous quarter’s NAV. 
The Audit Committee considers and challenges this analysis 
and  the  rationale  of  any  changes  made.  The  Committee 
has satisfied itself that the key estimates and assumptions 
used in the valuation model, which are disclosed in note 2 
to the consolidated financial statements, are appropriate 
and that the investments have been fairly valued.

INTERNAL CONTROL
The  Audit  Committee  has  established  a  set  of  ongoing 
processes  designed  to  meet  the  particular  needs  of  the 
Company in managing the risks to which it is exposed.

The process is one whereby the Investment Manager has 
identified the key risks to which the Company is exposed, 
and  recorded  them  on  a  risk  matrix  together  with  the 
controls  employed  to  mitigate  these  risks.  A  residual 
risk  rating  has  been  applied  to  each  risk.  The  Audit 
Committee is responsible for reviewing the risk matrix and 
associated controls before recommending to the Board for 
consideration  and  approval,  challenging  the  Investment 
Manager’s  assumptions  to  ensure  a  robust  internal  risk 
management process.

The Audit Committee formally reviewed the updated risk 
matrix during the period and will continue to do so on, an 
annual basis. By their nature, these procedures provide a 
reasonable,  but  not  absolute,  assurance  against  material 
misstatement or loss. Regular reports will be provided to 
the Audit Committee highlighting material changes to risk 
ratings.

During  the  period,  the  Audit  Committee  also  discussed 
and  reviewed  the  internal  controls  framework  in  place  at 
the Investment Manager and the Administrator in depth. 
Discussions  focused  on  3  lines  of  defence:  assurances  at 
operational  level;  internal  oversight;  and  independent 
objective assurance. The Audit Committee concluded that 
these frameworks were appropriate for the identification, 
assessment, management and monitoring of financial and 
regulatory risks, with particular regard to the protection of 
the interests of the Company’s shareholders.

INTERNAL AUDIT
The Audit Committee continues to review the need for an 
internal audit function and has decided that the systems, 
processes  and  procedures  employed  by  the  Company, 
Investment  Manager  and  Administrator,  including  their 
own  internal  controls  and  procedures,  provide  sufficient 
assurance  that  an  appropriate  level  of  risk  management 
and internal control is maintained. In addition to this, the 
Company’s external Depositary provides cash monitoring, 
asset verification and oversight services to the Company.

The  Audit  Committee  has  therefore  concluded  that 
Shareholders’  investments  and  the  Company’s  assets  are 
adequately  safeguarded  and  an  internal  audit  function 
specific to the Company is considered unnecessary.

The  Audit  Committee  shall  meet  investors  in  relation  to 
the  Company’s  financial  reporting  and  internal  controls, 
should it be deemed appropriate.

30

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EXTERNAL AUDITOR
EFFECTIVENESS OF THE AUDIT PROCESS
The  Audit  Committee  assessed  the  effectiveness  of  the 
audit  process  by  considering  BDO‘s  fulfilment  of  the 
agreed  audit  plan  through  the  reporting  presented  to 
the  Audit  Committee  by  BDO  and  the  discussions  at 
the  Audit  Committee  meeting,  which  highlighted  the 
major issues that arose during the course of the audit. In 
addition, the Audit Committee also sought feedback from 
the  Investment  Manager  and  the  Administrator  on  the 
effectiveness of the audit process. For this financial period, 
the  Audit  Committee  was  satisfied  that  there  had  been 
appropriate  focus  and  challenge  on  the  primary  areas  of 
audit risk and assessed the quality of the audit process to 
be good.

NON-AUDIT SERVICES
Details of fees paid to BDO during the period are disclosed 
in note 5 to the consolidated financial statements. The Audit 
Committee approved these fees after a review of the level 
and nature of work to be performed, and are satisfied that 
they  are  appropriate  for  the  scope  of  the  work  required. 
The Audit Committee seeks to ensure that any non-audit 
services  provided  by  the  external  auditor  do  not  conflict 
with their statutory and regulatory responsibilities, as well 
as  their  independence,  before  giving  written  approval 
prior  to  their  engagement.  The  Audit  Committee  was 
satisfied that BDO had adequate safeguards in place and 
that provision of these non-audit services did not provide 
threats to the Auditor’s independence.

The Audit Committee has a policy regarding the provision 
of  non-audit  services  by  the  external  auditor  which 
precludes  the  external  auditor  from  providing  any  of  the 
prohibited  non-audit  services  as  listed  in  Article  5  of  the 
EU  Directive  Regulation  (EU)  No  537/2014.  The  Audit 
Committee  monitors  the  Group’s  expenditure  on  non-
audit  services  provided  by  the  Company’s  auditor  who 
should only be engaged for non-audit services where they 
are deemed to be the most commercially viable supplier 
and  prior  approval  of  the  Audit  Committee  has  been 
sought.

INDEPENDENCE
The  Audit  Committee 
is  required  to  consider  the 
independence  of  the  external  auditor.  In  fulfilling  this 
requirement,  the  Audit  Committee  has  considered  a 
report from BDO describing its arrangements to identify, 
report and manage any conflict of interest and the extent 
of non-audit services provided by them.

The Audit Committee has concluded that it considers BDO 
to be independent of the Company and that the provision 
of the non-audit services described above is not a threat 
to the objectivity and independence of the conduct of the 
audit.

the  Company’s  Auditor 

RE-APPOINTMENT
BDO  has  been 
its 
incorporation on 15 February 2017. The Auditor is required 
to rotate the audit partner responsible for the Group audit 
every 5 years. Therefore, the lead partner will be required 
to rotate after the completion of the 2022 year-end audit.

from 

The external audit contract is required to be put to tender 
at  least  every  10  years.  The  Audit  Committee  shall  give 
advance notice of any retendering plans within the annual 
report.  The  Audit  Committee  has  considered  the  re-
appointment  of  the  Auditor  and  decided  not  to  put  the 
provision of the external audit out to tender at this time. 
As  described  above,  the  Audit  Committee  reviewed  the 
effectiveness and independence of the Auditor and remain 
satisfied  that  the  Auditor  provides  effective  independent 
challenge  to  the  Board,  the  Investment  Manager  and 
the  Administrator.  The  Audit  Committee  will  continue 
to  monitor  the  performance  of  the  Auditor  on  an  annual 
basis and will consider their independence and objectivity, 
taking account of appropriate guidelines.

The Audit Committee has therefore recommended to the 
Board  that  BDO  be  proposed  for  re-appointment  as  the 
Company’s Auditor at the AGM of the Company.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Chairman of the Audit Committee will be present at 
the  Company’s  AGM  to  answer  questions  on  the  Audit 
Committee’s  activity  and  matters  within  the  scope  of  the 
Audit Committee’s responsibilities.

On behalf of the board,

Kevin McNamara 
Chairman of the Audit Committee

28 February 2018

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GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017HEAD_0 1st lineHEAD_0 1st line continuedHEAD_0 2nd line2nd line continued 
 
Independent 

Auditor’s Report

To the members of 

Greencoat Renewables PLC

Independent Auditor’s Report
To the members of Greencoat Renewables PLC

OPINION
We  have  audited  the  financial  statements  of  Greencoat 
Renewables  PLC 
its  subsidiaries 
(“Company”)  and 
(“Group”)  for  the  financial  period  from  15  February  2017 
(date  of  incorporation)  to  31  December  2017,  which 
comprise the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive 
Income,  Consolidated  and  Company  Statement  of 
Financial Position, Consolidated and Company Statement 
in  Equity,  Consolidated  and  Company 
of  Changes 
Statement of Cash Flows, and the related notes including 
the  summary  of  significant  accounting  policies  set  out  in 
note  1.  The  financial  reporting  framework  that  has  been 
applied in their preparation is Irish Law and International 
Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) as adopted by the 
European  Union  and,  as  regards  the  Company  financial 
statements,  as  applied  in  accordance  with  the  provisions 
of the Companies Act 2014.

In our opinion:

•  The  Group  financial  statements  give  a  true  and  fair 
view  of  the  assets,  liabilities  and  financial  position  of 
the Group as at 31 December 2017 and of its loss for 
the financial period then ended;

•  The Company Statement of Financial Position gives a 
true and fair view of the assets, liabilities and financial 
position of the Company as at 31 December 2017;

•  The  Group  financial  statements  have  been  properly 
prepared  in  accordance  with  IFRS  as  adopted  by  the 
European Union;

•  The Company financial statements have been properly 
prepared  in  accordance  with  IFRS  as  adopted  by  the 
European  Union  as  applied  in  accordance  with  the 
provisions of the Companies Act 2014; and

•  The Group financial statements and Company financial 
statements have been properly prepared in accordance 
with the requirements of the Companies Act 2014 and, 
as regards the Group financial statements, Article 4 of 
the IAS Regulation.

BASIS FOR OPINION
We conducted our audit in accordance with International 
Standards  on  Auditing  (Ireland)  (“ISAs  (Ireland)”)  and 
applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards 
are  further  described  in  the  Auditor’s  Responsibilities 
for  the  Audit  of  the  Financial  Statements  section  of  our 
report. We are independent of the  Group  and Company 
in accordance with ethical requirements that are relevant 
to  our  audit  of  financial  statements  in  Ireland,  including 
the Ethical Standard as applied to public interest entities 
issued  by  the  Irish  Auditing  and  Accounting  Supervisory 
Authority (“IAASA”), and we have fulfilled our other ethical 
responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.

We  believe  that  the  audit  evidence  we  have  obtained 
is  sufficient  and  appropriate  to  provide  a  basis  for  our 
opinion.

32

KEY AUDIT MATTERS
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional 
judgment,  were  of  most  significance  in  our  audit  of  the 
financial  statements  of  the  current  financial  period  and 
include  the  most  significant  assessed  risks  of  material 
misstatement (whether or not due to fraud) we identified, 
including  those  which  had  the  greatest  effect  on:  the 
overall  audit  strategy,  the  allocation  of  resources  in  the 
audit; and directing the efforts of the engagement team.

These matters were addressed in the context of our audit 
of  the  financial  statements  as  a  whole,  and  in  forming 
our  opinion  thereon,  and  we  do  not  provide  a  separate 
opinion on these matters.

KEY AUDIT MATTER
The  valuation  of  investments  is  a  subjective  accounting 
estimate  where  there  is  an  inherent  risk  of  management 
override  arising  from  the  investment  valuations  being 
prepared by the Investment Manager, who is remunerated 
based on the Net Asset Value (“NAV”) of the Company.

investment  portfolio 

represented  by 
The  entire 
unquoted equity and loan investments and all investments 
are individually material to the financial statements.

is 

RELATED DISCLOSURES
Refer to:

•  Note 1 – Significant accounting policies;

•  Note 2 – Critical accounting judgments, estimates and 

assumptions;

•  Note 4 – Return on investments; and

•  Note 8 – Investments at fair value through profit or loss;

of the accompanying financial statements.

AUDIT RESPONSE
For  investments  valued  using  a  discounted  cash  flow 
model we performed the following procedures:

•  Challenged  the  appropriateness  of  the  selection  and 
application of key assumptions in the discounted cash 
flow model including discount rate, energy yield, power 
price, inflation rate and asset life by benchmarking to 
available industry data and consulting with our internal 
valuation specialists;

•  Agreed  energy  yield,  power  price  and  inflation  rate 

used in the model to independent reports;

•  We  obtained  and  reviewed  all  key  agreements  and 
contracts  and  considered  if  they  were  accurately 
reflected in the valuation model;

•  We reviewed the arithmetical accuracy of the valuation 

model; 

GREENCOATRENEWABLESHEAD_0 1st lineHEAD_0 1st line continuedHEAD_0 2nd line2nd line continuedIndependent Auditor’s Report continued

AUDIT RESPONSE CONTINUED
•  Agreed cash and other net assets to bank statements 

and investee company management accounts;

•  We critically evaluated and challenged management’s 
loan 

assessment  as  to  the  recoverability  of  the 
investments;

•  We vouched to loan agreements and verified the terms 

of the loan; and

OTHER INFORMATION
The  directors  are  responsible  for  the  other  information. 
The other information comprises the information included 
in  the  annual  report  other  than  the  financial  statements 
and  our  auditor’s  report  thereon.  Our  opinion  on  the 
financial statements does not cover the other information 
and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our 
report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion 
thereon.

•  We  have  reviewed  the  performance  of  the  loan 
investments during the financial period under review.

OUR APPLICATION OF MATERIALITY
We  define  materiality  as  the  magnitude  of  misstatement 
in the financial statements that makes it probable that the 
economic decisions of a reasonably knowledgeable person 
would be changed or influenced. We use materiality both 
in planning the scope of our audit work and in evaluating 
the results of our work.

Based  on  our  professional  judgement,  we  determined 
materiality for the financial statements as a whole as follows:

• 

• 

• 

• 

 For the purpose of our audit we used overall materiality 
of €3.9m, which represents approximately 1.5 per cent. 
of the Group and Company’s NAV.

 We  applied  this  threshold,  together  with  qualitative 
considerations, to determine the scope of our audit and 
the nature, timing and extent of our audit procedures 
and  to  evaluate  the  effect  of  misstatements  on  the 
Financial Statements as a whole.

 We chose NAV as the benchmark because of the Group 
and Company’s asset based structure. We selected 1.5 
per cent. based on our professional judgment, noting 
that it is also within the range of commonly accepted 
asset-related benchmarks.

 In  addition,  we  used  a  specific  materiality  for  the 
purpose  of  testing  transactions  and  balances  which 
impact  on  the  Group’s  realised  return.  Specific 
materiality  of  €1.2m,  which  represents  approximately 
10  per  cent.  of  the  loss  before  tax,  excluding  the 
unrealised valuation movements. 

CONCLUSIONS RELATING TO GOING CONCERN
We  have  nothing  to  report  in  respect  of  the  following 
matters  in  relation  to  which  ISAs  (Ireland)  require  us  to 
report to you where:

•  The  directors’  use  of  the  going  concern  basis 
of  accounting  in  the  preparation  of  the  financial 
statements is not appropriate: or

•  The  directors  have  not  disclosed  in  the  financial 
statements  any  identified  material  uncertainties  that 
may  cast  significant  doubt  about  the  Group  and  the 
Company’s  ability  to  continue  to  adopt  the  going 
concern basis of accounting for a period of at least 12 
months  from  the  date  when  the  financial  statements 
are authorised for issue.

In  connection  with  our  audit  of  the  financial  statements, 
our  responsibility  is  to  read  the  other  information  and, 
in  doing  so,  consider  whether  the  other  information  is 
materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our 
knowledge  obtained  in  the  audit  or  otherwise  appears 
to  be  materially  misstated.  If  we  identify  such  material 
inconsistencies  or  apparent  material  misstatements,  we 
are  required  to  determine  whether  there  is  a  material 
misstatement  in  the  financial  statements  or  a  material 
misstatement  of  the  other  information.  If,  based  on  the 
work  we  have  performed,  we  conclude  that  there  is  a 
material  misstatement  of  this  other  information,  we  are 
required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

OPINIONS ON OTHER MATTERS PRESCRIBED BY THE 
COMPANIES ACT 2014
Based solely on the work undertaken in the course of the 
audit, we report that:

• 

• 

In our opinion, the information given in the Directors’ 
Report is consistent with the financial statements; and

In our opinion, the Directors’ Report has been prepared 
in accordance with the Companies Act 2014.

We  have  obtained  all  the  information  and  explanations 
which we consider necessary for the purposes of our audit.

In  our  opinion,  the  accounting  records  of  the  Company 
were  sufficient  to  permit  the  financial  statements  to  be 
readily and properly audited and the Company Statement 
of Financial Position is in agreement with the accounting 
records.

MATTERS ON WHICH WE ARE REQUIRED TO REPORT 
BY EXCEPTION
Based  on  the  knowledge  and  understanding  of  the 
Group  and  the  Company  and  its  environment  obtained 
in the course of the audit, we have not identified material 
misstatements in the Directors’ Report.

We are also required to review:

•  The Directors’ statement in relation to going concern 

and longer-term viability;

•  The  part  of  the  Corporate  Governance  Statement 
relating  to  the  Company’s  compliance  with  the 
provisions  of  the  AIC  Code  specified  for  our  review; 
and

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GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017HEAD_0 1st lineHEAD_0 1st line continuedHEAD_0 2nd line2nd line continued 
 
Independent Auditor’s Report continued

AUDIT RESPONSE CONTINUED
MATTERS ON WHICH WE ARE REQUIRED TO REPORT 
BY EXCEPTION CONTINUED
•  Certain  elements  of  disclosures  in  the  report  to 
shareholders by the Board of Directors’ remuneration 
committee.

In addition, the Companies Act 2014 requires us to report 
to  you  if,  in  our  opinion,  the  disclosures  of  directors’ 
remuneration and transactions required by sections 305 to 
312 of the Act are not made.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

THE PURPOSE OF OUR AUDIT WORK AND TO WHOM 
WE OWE OUR RESPONSIBILITIES
Our report is made solely to the Company’s members, as 
a body, in accordance with section 391 of the Companies 
Act 2014. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we 
might state to the Company’s members those matters we 
are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for 
no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, 
we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other 
than  the  Company  and  the  Company’s  members,  as  a 
body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions 
we have formed.

Brian Hughes 
For and on behalf of BDO, 
Dublin, 
Ireland 
Statutory Audit Firm 
AI223876

28 February 2018

RESPECTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
RESPONSIBILITIES OF DIRECTORS FOR THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
As  explained  more  fully  in  the  directors’  responsibilities 
the 
statement, 
preparation  of  the  financial  statements  and  for  being 
satisfied  that  they  give  a  true  and  fair  view,  and  for  such 
internal control as they determine is necessary to enable 
the preparation of financial statements that are free from 
material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

the  directors  are 

responsible 

for 

In  preparing  the  financial  statements,  the  directors  are 
responsible for assessing the Group and Company’s ability 
to  continue  as  going  concerns,  disclosing,  as  applicable, 
matters  related  to  going  concern  and  using  the  going 
concern  basis  of  accounting  unless  management  either 
intends to liquidate the Group or the Company or to cease 
operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.

AUDITOR’S RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE AUDIT OF THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about 
whether the financial statements as a whole are free from 
material  misstatement,  whether  due  to  fraud  or  error, 
and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. 
Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not 
a  guarantee  that  an  audit  conducted  in  accordance  with 
ISAs  (Ireland)  will  always  detect  a  material  misstatement 
when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error 
and are considered material if, individually or in aggregate, 
they  could  reasonably  be  expected  to  influence  the 
economic  decisions  of  users  taken  on  the  basis  of  these 
financial statements.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of 
the financial statements is located on the IAASA’s website at:

http://www.iaasa.ie/getmedia/b2389013-1cf6-458b-9b8f-
a98202dc9c3a/Description_of_auditors_responsiblities_
for_audit.pdf

This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

34

GREENCOATRENEWABLESHEAD_0 1st lineHEAD_0 1st line continuedHEAD_0 2nd line2nd line continuedConsolidated 

Statement of

Comprehensive 

For the period ended 31 

Income

December 2017

Consolidated Statement of
Comprehensive Income
For the period ended 31 December 2017

Return on investments

Other income

Total income and gains

Operating expenses

Investment acquisition costs

Operating profit

Finance expense

Loss for the period before tax

Taxation

Loss for the period after tax

Loss and total comprehensive income attributable to:

Equity holders of the Company

Earnings per share

Basic and diluted earnings from continuing 
operations in the period (cent)

For the period ended  
31 December 2017
€’000

Note

4

5

12

6

13,157

1,413

14,570

(2,154)  

(2,524)  

9,892

(12,464)  

(2,572)  

–

(2,572)  

(2,572)  

7

(1.91)  

The accompanying notes on pages 41 to 61 form an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

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GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017HEAD_0 1st lineHEAD_0 1st line continuedHEAD_0 2nd line2nd line continued 
 
Consolidated 

Statement of

Financial Position

As at 31 December 2017

Consolidated Statement of
Financial Position
As at 31 December 2017

Non current assets

Investments at fair value through profit or loss

Current assets

Receivables

Cash and cash equivalents

Current liabilities

Payables

Net current assets

Non current liabilities

Loans and borrowings

Net assets

Capital and reserves

Called up share capital

Share premium account

Other distributable reserves

Retained earnings

Total shareholders’ funds

Net assets per share (cent)

Authorised for issue by the Board on 28 February 2018 and signed on its behalf by:

Rónán Murphy 
Chairman

Kevin McNamara 
Director

Note

31 December 2017
€’000

8

10

11

12

14

14

15

316,796

316,796

2,977

14,794

17,771

(1,312)  

16,459

(71,169)  

262,086

2,700

11,958

250,000

(2,572)  

262,086

97.1

The accompanying notes on pages 41 to 61 form an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

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GREENCOATRENEWABLESHEAD_0 1st lineHEAD_0 1st line continuedHEAD_0 2nd line2nd line continued 
 
Company 

Statement of

Financial Position

As at 31 December 2017

Company Statement of
Financial Position
As at 31 December 2017

Non current assets

Investments at fair value through profit or loss

Current assets

Receivables

Cash and cash equivalents

Current liabilities

Payables

Net current assets

Net assets

Capital and reserves

Called up share capital

Share premium account

Other distributable reserves

Retained earnings

Total shareholders’ funds

Net assets per share (cent)

Note

31 December 2017
€’000 

8

10

11

14

14

15

243,324

243,324

5,220

14,514

19,734

(972)  

18,762

262,086

2,700

11,958

250,000

(2,572)  

262,086

97.1

The Company has taken advantage of the exemption under section 304 of the Companies Act 2014 and accordingly has 
not presented a Statement of Comprehensive Income for the Company alone. The loss after tax of the Company for the 
period was €2,571,891.

Authorised for issue by the Board on 28 February 2018 and signed on its behalf by:

Rónán Murphy 
Chairman

Kevin McNamara 
Director

The accompanying notes on pages 41 to 61 form an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

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Consolidated 

and Company 

Statement of

Changes in Equity

For the period ended 31 

December 2017

Consolidated and Company Statement of
Changes in Equity
For the period ended 31 December 2017

Note 

Share 
capital

Share 
premium

Other 
Distributable
Reserves
€’000

Retained 
earnings
€’000

Opening net assets 
attributable to shareholders 
(15 February 2017)

Issue of share capital

Issue of share premium

Share issue costs 

Capital reduction

Profit and total comprehensive 
income for the period

Closing net assets attributable 
to shareholders

14

14

14

–

2,700

–

–

–

–

–

–

267,300

(5,342)  

–

–

–

–

(250,000)  

250,000

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

(2,572)  

(2,572)

2,700

11,958

250,000

(2,572)  

262,086

Total 
€’000

–

2,700

267,300

(5,342)

–

Other  distributable  reserves  were  created  through  the  capital  reduction  process  undertaken  during  the  period.  This 
amount is capable of being applied in any manner in which the Company’s profits available for distribution, as determined 
in accordance with the Companies Act 2014, are able to be applied.

After taking account of cumulative unrealised gains of €7,701,703, the total reserves distributable by way of a dividend as 
at 31 December 2017 were €239,726,406.

The accompanying notes on pages 41 to 61 form an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

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GREENCOATRENEWABLESHEAD_0 1st lineHEAD_0 1st line continuedHEAD_0 2nd line2nd line continued 
Consolidated 

Statement of

Cash Flows

For the period ended 31 

December 2017

Consolidated Statement of
Cash Flows
For the period ended 31 December 2017

Net cash flows from operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities

Acquisition of investments

Investment acquisition costs

Repayment of shareholder loan investments

Net cash flows from investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities

Issue of share capital

Payment of issue costs

Amounts drawn down on loan facilities

Amounts repaid on loan facilities

Finance costs

Repayment of project finance loan

Net cash flows from financing activities

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents during the period

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period

Note

16

For the period ended  
31 December 2017
€’000 

3,817

(147,401)  

(2,524)  

4,076

(145,849)  

270,000

(5,230)  

223,169

(152,000)  

(13,174)  

(165,939)  

156,826

14,794

–

14,794

The accompanying notes on pages 41 to 61 form an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

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GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017HEAD_0 1st lineHEAD_0 1st line continuedHEAD_0 2nd line2nd line continued 
 
 
 
Company 

Statement of

Cash Flows

For the period ended 31 

December 2017

Company Statement of
Cash Flows
For the period ended 31 December 2017

Net cash flows from operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities

Acquisition of investments

Loans advanced to Holdco

Investment acquisition costs

Net cash flows from investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities

Issue of share capital

Payment of issue costs

Amounts drawn down on loan facilities

Amounts repaid on loan facilities

Finance costs

Net cash flows from financing activities

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents during the period

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period

Note

16

For the period ended  
31 December 2017
€’000 

(3,058)  

 (147,401)  

(92,223)  

(2,524)  

(242,148)  

270,000

(5,230)  

152,000

(152,000)  

(5,050)  

259,720

14,514

–

14,514

The accompanying notes on pages 41 to 61 form an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

40

GREENCOATRENEWABLESHEAD_0 1st lineHEAD_0 1st line continuedHEAD_0 2nd line2nd line continued 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the Consolidated
Financial Statements
For the period ended 31 December 2017

1. 

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

BASIS OF ACCOUNTING
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRS to the extent that they have been 
adopted by the EU and with those parts of the Companies Act 2014 applicable to companies reporting under IFRS.

These  consolidated  financial  statements  are  presented  in  Euro  (“€”)  which  is  the  currency  of  the  primary  economic 
environment in which the Group operates and are rounded to the nearest thousand, unless otherwise stated.

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis, as modified for the measurement 
of certain financial instruments at fair value through profit or loss. The financial statements have been prepared on the 
going concern basis. The principal accounting policies are set out below.

NEW AND AMENDED STANDARDS AND INTERPRETATIONS NOT APPLIED
There were no new standards or interpretations effective for the first time for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2017 
that had a significant effect on the Group or Company’s financial statements. Furthermore, none of the amendments to 
standards that are effective from that date had a significant effect on the financial statements.

At the date of authorisation of these financial statements, IFRS 9 “Financial Instruments” was issued to replace IAS 39, 
but will not become effective until accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2018 and has not been applied 
in these financial statements. The Group’s financial assets predominantly comprise equity investments held at fair value 
and the introduction of IFRS 9 is not expected to have a material impact on the reported results and financial position of 
the Group.

Also at the date of authorisation of these financial statements, IFRS 15 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” was 
issued but will not become effective until accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2018 and IFRS 16 “Leases” 
was issued but will not become effective until accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2019. As the Group’s 
investments are held at fair value through profit or loss and the revenue contracts and leases are held at SPV level, the 
introduction  of  IFRS  15  and  IFRS  16  is  not  expected  to  have  a  material  impact  on  the  reported  results  and  financial 
position of the Group. 

Other accounting standards have been published and will be mandatory for the Company’s accounting periods beginning 
on or after 1 January 2018 or later periods. The impact of these standards is not expected to be material to the reported 
results and financial position of the Group.

ACCOUNTING FOR SUBSIDIARIES
The Directors have concluded that the Group has all the elements of control as prescribed by IFRS 10 ‘‘Consolidated 
Financial Statements’’ in relation to all its subsidiaries and that the Company satisfies the criteria to be regarded as an 
investment entity as defined in IFRS 10, IFRS 12 ‘‘Disclosure of Interests in Other Entities’’ and IAS 27 ‘‘Consolidated and 
Separate Financial Statements’’.

Subsidiaries are therefore measured at fair value through profit or loss, in accordance with IFRS 13 ‘‘Fair Value Measurement’’ 
and IAS 39 ‘‘Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement’’. The financial support provided by the Group to its 
unconsolidated subsidiaries is disclosed in note 9.

Notwithstanding this, IFRS 10 requires subsidiaries that provide services that relate to the investment entity’s investment 
activities  but  are  not  themselves  investment  entities  to  be  consolidated.  Accordingly,  the  annual  financial  statements 
include the consolidated financial statements of the Company and the Holdcos. In respect of these entities, intra-Group 
balances and any unrealised gains arising from intra-Group transactions are eliminated in preparing the consolidated 
financial statements. Unrealised losses are eliminated unless the costs cannot be recovered. The consolidated financial 
statements  of  subsidiaries  that  are  included  in  the  consolidated  financial  statements  are  included  from  the  date  that 
control commences until the dates that control ceases.

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In  the  Company  financial  statements,  investments  in  subsidiaries  are  measured  at  fair  value  through  profit  or  loss  in 
accordance with IAS 39, as permitted by IAS 27.

CONSOLIDATION
Subsidiaries are all entities (including structured entities) over which the Company has control. The Company controls an 
entity when the Company has power over the entity, is exposed to, or has rights to, variable returns from its involvement 
with the entity and has the ability to affect those returns through its power over the entity. Subsidiaries are fully consolidated 
from the date on which control is transferred to the Company. They are derecognised from the date that control ceases.

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GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017HEAD_0 1st line continued 
 
 
 
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

1. 

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES CONTINUED

CONSOLIDATION CONTINUED
The Company applies the acquisition method to account for business combinations. The consideration transferred for 
the acquisition of a subsidiary (for accounting purposes) is the fair value of the assets transferred, the liabilities incurred 
to  the  former  owners  of  the  acquiree  and  the  equity  interests  issued  by  the  Company.  The  consideration  transferred 
includes the fair value of any asset or liability resulting from a contingent consideration arrangement. Identifiable assets 
acquired and liabilities and contingent liabilities assumed in a business combination are measured initially at their fair 
values at the acquisition date. The Company recognises any non-controlling interest in the acquiree on an acquisition-by-
acquisition basis, either at fair value or at the non-controlling interest’s proportionate share of the recognised amounts of 
acquiree’s identifiable net assets.

The following table outlines the consolidated entities.

Investment

Date of Control

Registered
Office

Ownership 
%

Country of
Incorporation

Place of 
Business

GR Wind Farm 
1 Limited

GR Wind Farm 
2 Limited

9 March 2017

30 November 2017

Riverside One, Sir John 
Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2

Riverside One, Sir John 
Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2

100%

Ireland

Ireland

100%

Ireland

Ireland

Based on control, the results of the Holdcos are consolidated into the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Acquisition-related costs are expensed as incurred.

Inter-company  transactions,  notes,  balances  and  unrealised  gains  on  transactions  between  group  companies  are 
eliminated on consolidation. Unrealised losses are also eliminated. When necessary, amounts reported by subsidiaries 
have been adjusted to conform to the Company’s accounting policies. During the period no such adjustments have been 
made given all subsidiaries have uniform accounting policies.

ACQUISITION METHOD
The acquisition method is used for all business combinations.

Steps in applying the acquisition method are:

• 

Identification of the acquirer.

•  Determination of the acquisition date.

•  Recognition  and  measurement  of  the  identifiable  assets  acquired,  the  liabilities  assumed  and  any  non-controlling 

interest (NCI, formerly called minority interest) in the acquiree.

•  Recognition and measurement of goodwill or a gain from a bargain purchase.

The guidance in IFRS 10 “Consolidated Financial Statements” is used to identify an acquirer in a business combination, 
i.e.  the  entity  that  obtains  control  of  the  acquiree.  An  acquirer  considers  all  pertinent  facts  and  circumstances  when 
determining the acquisition date, i.e. the date on which it obtains control of the acquiree. The acquisition date may be a 
date that is earlier or later than the closing date.

FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognised in the Group’s Statement of Financial Position when the Group 
becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument. Financial assets and financial liabilities are only offset 
and the net amount reported in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position when there is a currently enforceable 
legal right to offset the recognised amounts and the Group intends to settle on a net basis or realise the asset and liability 
simultaneously.

At 31 December 2017, the carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, receivables, payables and borrowings reflected 
in the financial statements are reasonable estimates of fair value in view of the nature of these instruments or the relatively 
short period of time between the original instruments and their expected realisation. The fair value of advances and other 
balances with related parties which are short-term or repayable on demand is equivalent to their carrying amount.

42

GREENCOATRENEWABLESNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

1. 

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES CONTINUED

FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS CONTINUED
FINANCIAL ASSETS
The  classification  of  financial  assets  at  initial  recognition  depends  on  the  purpose  for  which  the  financial  asset  was 
acquired and its characteristics.

All financial assets are initially recognised at fair value. All purchases of financial assets are recorded at the date on which 
the Group and the Company became party to the contractual requirements of the financial asset.

The Group’s and Company’s financial assets comprise of investments held at fair value through profit or loss and loans 
and receivables.

LOANS AND RECEIVABLES
These assets are non-derivative financial assets with fixed or determinable payments that are not quoted in an active 
market. They principally comprise cash and trade and other receivables and they are initially recognised at fair value and 
subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method, less provision for impairment. Transaction 
costs are recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income as incurred.

The Group and Company assesses whether there is any objective evidence that financial assets are impaired at the end 
of each reporting period. If any such evidence exists, the amount of the impairment loss is measured as the difference 
between the asset’s carrying amount and the present value of estimated future cash flows, discounted at the original 
effective interest rate. The amount of the impairment is recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive 
Income.

INVESTMENTS AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH PROFIT OR LOSS
Investments are designated upon initial recognition as held at fair value through profit or loss. Movements in fair value 
are recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income during the reporting period. As shareholder 
loan investments form part of a managed portfolio of assets whose performance is evaluated on a fair value basis, loan 
investments are designated at fair value in line with equity investments.

The  Company’s  loan  and  equity  investments  in  Holdcos  are  held  at  fair  value  through  profit  or  loss.  Gains  or  losses 
resulting from the movement in fair value are recognised in the Company’s Statement of Comprehensive Income at each 
valuation point.

Investments are initially recognised at cost, being the fair value of consideration given. Transaction costs are recognised 
in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income as incurred.

Fair value is defined as the amount for which an asset could be exchanged between knowledgeable willing parties in an 
arm’s length transaction. Fair value is calculated on an unlevered, discounted cash flow basis in accordance with IFRS 13 
and IAS 39. Gains or losses resulting from the revaluation of investments are recognised in the Consolidated Statement 
of Comprehensive Income.

DE-RECOGNITION OF FINANCIAL ASSETS
A financial asset (in whole or in part) is derecognised either:

•  When the Group has transferred substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership; or

•  When it has neither transferred or retained substantially all the risks and rewards and when it no longer has control 

over the assets or a portion of the asset; or

•  When the contractual right to receive cash flow has expired.

FINANCIAL LIABILITIES
Financial liabilities are classified according to the substance of the contractual agreements entered into.

All  financial  liabilities  are  initially  recognised  at  fair  value  net  of  transaction  costs  incurred.  All  financial  liabilities  are 
recorded on the date on which the Group becomes party to the contractual requirements of the financial liability.

All loans and borrowings are initially recognised at cost, being fair value of the consideration received, less issue costs 
where  applicable.  After  initial  recognition,  all  interest-bearing  loans  and  borrowings  are  subsequently  measured  at 
amortised cost using the effective interest rate method. Loan balances as at the period end have not been discounted to 
reflect amortised cost, as the amounts are not materially different from the outstanding balances.

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43

GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017 
 
 
 
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

1. 

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES CONTINUED

FINANCIAL LIABILITIES CONTINUED
The Group’s other financial liabilities measured at amortised cost include trade and other payables and other short term 
monetary liabilities which are initially recognised at fair value and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the 
effective interest rate method.

A financial liability (in whole or in part) is derecognised when the Group has extinguished its contractual obligations, it 
expires or is cancelled. Any gain or loss on de-recognition is taken to the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive 
Income.

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
The Group uses derivative financial instruments to hedge its exposure to interest rate risk arising from financing activities. 
The principal derivatives used are interest rate swaps. All such derivatives are initially recognised at fair value and are 
re-measured to fair value at the reporting date. The majority of derivative financial instruments are designated as being 
held for hedging purposes. The designation of the hedge relationship is established at the inception of the contract and 
procedures are applied to ensure the derivative is highly effective in achieving its objective and that the effectiveness 
of  the  hedge  can  be  reliably  measured.  The  treatment  of  gains  and  losses  on  re-measurement  is  dependent  on  the 
classification of the hedge and whether the hedge relationship is designated as either a “fair value” or “cash flow hedge”.

FAIR VALUE HEDGES
The instruments hedges the exposure to changes in the fair value of an asset or liability recorded in the Consolidated 
Statement  of  Financial  Position,  or  a  firm  commitment  to  purchase  or  sell  an  asset.  Changes  in  the  fair  value  of  the 
hedged item attributable to the hedged (risk) component of that item are recorded in the Consolidated Statement of 
Comprehensive Income and are offset by corresponding variations in the fair value of the hedging instrument. Only the 
ineffective portion of the hedge has an impact on profit or loss.

Hedge  accounting  is  applied  in  compliance  with  IAS  39  Financial  Instruments:  Recognition  and  Measurement,  and 
concerns interest rate derivatives used to hedge long-term indebtedness.

CASH FLOW HEDGES
Where a derivative financial instrument is designated as a hedge of the variability in cash flows of a recognised liability, 
the effective part of any gain or loss on the derivative financial instrument is recognised directly in other comprehensive 
income. The ineffective part of any gain or loss is recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income 
immediately.  When  a  hedging  instrument  or  hedge  relationship  is  terminated  but  the  hedged  transactions  is  still 
expected to occur, the cumulative gain or loss at the point remains in other comprehensive income and is recognised 
in accordance with the above policy when the transaction occurs. If the hedged transaction is no longer probable, the 
cumulative unrealised gain or loss recognised in other comprehensive income is recognised in Consolidated Statement 
of Comprehensive Income immediately.

FINANCE EXPENSES
Borrowing costs are recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income in the period to which they 
relate on an accruals basis using the effective interest rate method.

SHARE CAPITAL
Financial instruments issued by the Company are treated as equity if the holder has only a residual interest in the assets 
of the Company after the deduction of all liabilities. The Company’s ordinary shares are classified as equity instruments.

Share issue costs of the Company directly attributable to the issue and listing of shares are charged to the share premium 
account.  Share  issue  costs  include  those  incurred  in  connection  with  the  placing  and  admission  which  include  fees 
payable under a placing agreement, legal costs and any other applicable expenses.

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash balances, deposits held on call with banks and other short-term highly liquid 
deposits with original maturities of 3 months or less, that is readily convertible to a known amount of cash and are subject 
to an insignificant risk of changes in value.

44

GREENCOATRENEWABLESNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

1. 

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES CONTINUED

FOREIGN CURRENCIES
Transactions  in  foreign  currencies  are  translated  at  the  foreign  exchange  rate  ruling  at  the  date  of  the  transaction. 
Monetary  assets  and  liabilities  denominated  in  foreign  currencies  at  the  reporting  date  are  translated  at  the  foreign 
exchange rate ruling at that date. Foreign exchange differences arising on translation are recognised in the Consolidated 
Statement of Comprehensive Income.

DIVIDENDS
Dividends payable are recognised as distributions in the consolidated financial statements when the Company’s obligation 
to make payment has been established.

INCOME RECOGNITION
Interest  income  on  shareholder  loan  investments  is  recognised  when  the  Group’s  entitlement  to  receive  payment  is 
established.

Other income is accounted for on an accruals basis.

Gains or losses resulting from the movement in fair value of the Group’s and Company’s investments held at fair value 
through profit and loss are recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income at each valuation point.

EXPENSES
Expenses are accounted for on an accruals basis.

TAXATION
Under the current system of taxation in Ireland, the Company is liable to taxation on its operations in Ireland.

Current tax is the expected tax payable on the taxable income for the period, using tax rates that have been enacted or 
substantively enacted at the date of the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position.

Deferred tax is the tax expected to be payable or recoverable on temporary differences between the carrying amounts 
of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and the corresponding tax bases used in the computation of taxable 
profit. Deferred tax liabilities are generally recognised for all taxable temporary differences and deferred tax assets are 
recognised  to  the  extent  that  it  is  probable  that  taxable  profits  will  be  available  against  which  deductible  temporary 
differences can be utilised.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are not recognised if the temporary differences arise from goodwill or from the initial 
recognition  of  other  assets  and  liabilities  in  a  transaction  that  affects  neither  the  tax  profit  nor  the  accounting  profit. 
Deferred  tax  liabilities  are  recognised  for  taxable  temporary  differences  arising  on  investments,  except  where  the 
Company is able to control the timing of the reversal of the difference and it is probable that the temporary difference will 
not reverse in the foreseeable future. Deferred tax is calculated at the tax rates that are expected to apply in the period 
when the liability is settled or the asset is realised. Deferred tax is charged or credited to the Consolidated Statement of 
Comprehensive Income except when it relates to items charged or credited directly to equity, in which case the deferred 
tax is also dealt with in equity.

Deferred  tax  assets  and  liabilities  are  offset  when  there  is  a  legally  enforceable  right  to  set  off  tax  assets  against  tax 
liabilities and when they relate to income taxes levied by the same taxation authority and the Company intends to settle 
its current tax assets and liabilities on a net basis. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are not discounted.

SEGMENTAL REPORTING
Operating  segments  are  reported  in  a  manner  consistent  with  the  internal  reporting  provided  to  the  chief  operating 
decision-maker.  The  chief  operating  decision-maker,  who  is  responsible  for  allocating  resources  and  assessing 
performance of the operating segments, has been identified as the Board of Directors, as a whole.

The key measure of performance used by the Board to assess the Group’s performance and to allocate resources is the 
total return on the Group’s net assets, as calculated under IFRS, and therefore no reconciliation is required between the 
measure of profit or loss used by the Board and that contained in the consolidated financial statements.

For management purposes, the Group is organised into one main operating segment, which invests in wind farm assets.

All of the Group’s income is generated within Ireland. All of the Group’s non-current assets are located in Ireland.

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45

GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017 
 
 
 
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

2.  CRITICAL ACCOUNTING JUDGEMENTS, ESTIMATES AND ASSUMPTIONS

The preparation of the financial statements requires the application of estimates and assumptions which may affect the 
results reported in the financial statements. Estimates, by their nature, are based on judgement and available information.

CLASSIFICATION OF AN INVESTMENT ENTITY
One area of judgement relates to the Company’s classification as an investment entity as defined in IFRS 10, IFRS 12 and 
IAS 27. IFRS 10 requires that a Company has to fulfil 3 criteria to be an investment entity:

•  Obtains funds from one or more investors for the purpose of providing those investor(s) with investment management 

services;

•  Commits  to  its  investor(s)  that  its  business  purpose  is  to  invest  funds  solely  for  returns  from  capital  appreciation, 

investment income, or both; and

•  Measures and evaluates the performance of substantially all of its investments on a fair value basis.

IFRS 10 also determines that an investment entity would have the following typical characteristics:

• 

• 

• 

• 

It has more than one investment;

It has more than one investor;

It has investors that are not related parties; and

It has ownership interest in the form of equity or similar interests.

An entity that does not display all of the above characteristics could, nevertheless, meet the definition of an investment 
entity.

The Directors have concluded that the Company meets the definition of an investment entity.

FAIR VALUE OF INVESTMENTS
The key assumptions that have a significant impact on the carrying value of investments that are valued by reference to 
the discounted value of future cash flows are the useful life of the assets, the discount factors, the level of wind resource, 
the rate of inflation, the price at which the power and associated benefits can be sold and the amount of electricity the 
assets are expected to produce. A sensitivity analysis of these assumptions is included in note 8.

Useful lives are based on the Investment Manager’s estimates of the period over which the assets will generate revenue 
which are periodically reviewed for continued appropriateness. The standard assumption used for the useful life of a wind 
farm is 25 years. The actual useful life may be a shorter or longer period depending on the actual operating conditions 
experienced by the asset.

The discount factors are subjective and therefore it is feasible that a reasonable alternative assumption may be used 
resulting  in  a  different  value.  The  discount  factors  applied  to  the  cash  flows  are  reviewed  annually  by  the  Investment 
Manager  to  ensure  they  are  at  the  appropriate  level.  The  Investment  Manager  will  take  into  consideration  market 
transactions, where of similar nature, when considering changes to the discount factors used.

The revenues and expenditure of the investee companies are frequently, partly or wholly subject to indexation and an 
assumption is made that inflation will increase at a long term rate.

The price at which the output from the revenue generating assets is sold is a factor of both wholesale electricity prices 
and the revenue received from the Government support regime. Future power prices are estimated using external third 
party forecasts which take the form of specialist consultancy reports. The future power price assumptions are reviewed 
as and when these forecasts are updated. There is an inherent uncertainty in future wholesale electricity price projection.

Specifically commissioned external reports are used to estimate the expected electrical output from the wind farm assets 
taking into account the expected average wind speed at each location and generation data from historical operation. 
The actual electrical output may differ considerably from that estimated in such a report mainly due to the variability of 
actual wind to that modelled in any one period. Assumptions around electrical output will be reviewed only if there is 
good reason to suggest there has been a material change in this expectation.

GOING CONCERN
After making enquiries, the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Company and the Group have adequate 
resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, they continue to adopt the going 
concern basis of accounting in preparing the interim financial statements.

46

GREENCOATRENEWABLESNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

3. 

INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT FEES

Under the terms of the Investment Management Agreement, the Investment Manager is entitled to a management fee 
from the Company, which is calculated quarterly in arrears in accordance with the Investment Management Agreement.

The Fee shall be calculated in respect of each Quarter and in each case based upon the Net Asset Value:

•  On that part of the Net Asset Value up to and including €1 billion, an amount equal to 0.25 per cent of such part of 

the Net Asset Value; and

•  On that part of the Net Asset Value in excess of €1 billion, an amount equal to 0.2 per cent of such part of the Net 

Asset Value.

Investment management fees paid or accrued in the period to 31 December 2017 were as follows:

Investment management fee

As at 31 December 2017, €659,478 is payable in relation to investment management fees.

4. 

RETURN ON INVESTMENTS

Interest on shareholder loan investment

Unrealised movement in fair value of investments (note 8)

For the period ended
31 December 2017
€’000

1,147

1,147

For the period ended  
31 December 2017
€’000 

5,455

7,702

13,157

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47

GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

5.  OPERATING EXPENSES

Investment management fees (note 3)

Other expenses

Non-executive Directors’ fees

Group and SPV administration fees

Fees to the Company’s Auditor:

for audit of the statutory financial statements

for other services

For the period ended  
31 December 2017
€’000 

1,147

792

108

66

35

6

2,154

The fees to the Company’s auditor include €5,500 payable in relation to a limited review of the interim report and other 
non-audit services provided during the period.

6. 

TAXATION

Taxation

The tax reconciliation is explained below.

Loss for the period before taxation

Loss for the period multiplied by the standard rate of corporation tax of 12.5 per cent.

Fair value movements (not subject to taxation)

Expenditure not deductible for tax purposes

Receipt of tax losses from unconsolidated subsidiaries

For the period ended  
31 December 2017
€’000

–

–

For the period ended  
31 December 2017
€’000 

(2,572)  

(322)  

(963)  

921

364

–

48

GREENCOATRENEWABLES 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

7. 

EARNINGS PER SHARE

Profit attributable to equity holders of the Company – €’000

Weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue

Basic and diluted earnings from continuing operations in the period (cent)

For the period ended  
31 December 2017 

(2,572)  

134,581,270

(1.91)  

The weighted average number of ordinary shares arises in relation to the period from incorporation to 29 May 2017 when 
2 ordinary shares were allotted, the period from 29 May 2017 to IPO when 25,000 ordinary shares were in issue and the 
period after the IPO until 31 December 2017 when 270,000,000 ordinary shares were in issue.

8. 

INVESTMENTS AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH PROFIT OR LOSS

Group as at 31 December 2017

Opening balance

Additions

Adjustment on consolidation

Repayment of shareholder loan investments 

Unrealised movement in fair value of investments (note 4)

Company as at 31 December 2017

Opening balance

Additions

Loans advanced to shareholders investments 

Unrealised movement in fair value of investments

Loans 
€’000 

Equity interest 
€’000 

–

173,872

–

(4,076)  

1,855

–

144,270

(6,827)   

–

7,702

Total
€’000 

–

318,142

(6,827)   

(4,076)  

9,557

171,651

145,145

316,796

Loans 
€’000

Equity interest 
€’000

–

121,358

92,223

–

213,581

–

26,043

–

3,700

29,743

Total
€’000

–

147,401

92,223

3,700

243,324

The unrealised movement in fair value of investments of the Group during the period were made up as follows:

Decrease in DCF valuation of investments and other movements

Repayment of shareholder loan investment

Movement in cash balances of SPVs

For the period ended  
31 December 2017
€’000 

(2,928)  

4,076

8,409

9,557

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49

GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

8. 

INVESTMENTS AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH PROFIT OR LOSS CONTINUED

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
IFRS 13 requires disclosure of fair value measurement by level. The level of fair value hierarchy which the financial assets 
or financial liabilities are recognised on the basis of the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement. 
Financial assets and financial liabilities are classified in their entirety into only one of the following 3 levels:

•  Level 1 – quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;

•  Level 2 – inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the assets or liabilities, either 

directly (i.e. as prices) or indirectly (i.e. derived from prices); and

•  Level 3 – inputs for assets or liabilities that are not based on observable market data (unobservable inputs).

The determination of what constitutes ‘observable’ requires significant judgement by the Group. The Group considers 
observable data to be market data that is readily available, regularly distributed or updated, reliable and verifiable, not 
proprietary, and provided by independent sources that are actively involved in the relevant market.

The only financial instruments held at fair value are the investments held by the Group in the SPVs, which are fair valued 
at each reporting date. The Group’s investments have been classified within level 3 as the investments are not traded 
and contain unobservable inputs. The Company’s investments are all considered to be level 3 assets. As the fair value of 
the Company’s equity and loan investments in the Holdcos is ultimately determined by the underlying fair values of the 
SPV investments, the Company’s sensitivity analysis of reasonably possible alternative input assumptions is the same as 
for the Group.

Due to the nature of the investments, they are always expected to be classified as level 3. There have been no transfers 
between levels during the period ended 31 December 2017.

Any transfers between the levels would be accounted for on the last day of each financial period.

The Investment Manager will carry out the asset valuations, which form part of the NAV calculation. These asset valuations 
will be based on discounted cash flow methodology in line with IPEV Valuation Guidelines and adjusted where appropriate, 
given the special nature of wind farm investments.

The valuations are based on a detailed financial model produced by the Investment Manager which takes into account, 
inter alia, the following:

•  Due diligence findings where relevant;

•  The terms of any material contracts including PPAs;

•  Asset performance;

•  Power price forecast from a leading market consultant; and

•  The economic, taxation or regulatory environment.

The DCF valuation of the Group’s investments represents the largest component of NAV and the key sensitivities are 
considered to be the discount rate used in the DCF valuation and long term assumptions in relation to energy yield, 
power prices and inflation.

The  unlevered  discount  rate  used  in  the  DCF  valuation  is  between  6  and  7  per  cent..  The  market  discount  rate  has 
remained  constant  since  listing.  A  variance  of  +/-  0.5  per  cent.  is  considered  to  be  a  reasonable  range  of  alternative 
assumptions for discount rate.

Base  case  energy  yield  assumptions  are  P50  (50  per  cent.  probability  of  exceedance)  forecasts  produced  by  expert 
consultants based on long term wind data and operational history. The P90 (90 per cent. probability of exceedance over 
a 10 year period) and P10 (10 per cent. probability of exceedance over a 10 year period) sensitivities reflect the future 
variability of wind and the uncertainty associated with the long term data source being representative of the long term 
mean. Given their basis on long term operating data, it is not anticipated that base case energy yield assumptions will be 
adjusted (other than any wind energy true-ups with compensating purchase price adjustments).

50

GREENCOATRENEWABLESNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

8. 

INVESTMENTS AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH PROFIT OR LOSS CONTINUED

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS CONTINUED
Long term power price forecasts are provided by a leading market consultant, updated quarterly and adjusted by the 
Investment  Manager  where  more  conservative  assumptions  are  considered  appropriate.  Base  case  real  power  prices 
increase from approximately €67/MWh (2030) to approximately €73/MWh (2040). The sensitivity analysis assumes a 10 
per cent. increase or decrease in power prices relative to the base case for every year of the asset life, which is relatively 
extreme. The sensitivity analysis reflects the period beyond the initial REFIT period whereby the Portfolio benefits from 
an inflation-linked floor price under the REFIT regime.

The base case long term CPI assumption is 2.00 per cent..

SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS
The fair value of the Group’s investments is €316,796,436. The following analysis is provided to illustrate the sensitivity 
of the fair value of investments to a change in an individual input, while all other variables remain constant. The Board 
considers these changes in inputs to be within reasonable expected ranges. This is not intended to imply the likelihood 
of change or that possible changes in value would be restricted to this range.

Input

Base case 

Change in input 

Discount rate

6 - 7 per cent.

+ 0.5 per cent.

Energy yield

- 0.5 per cent.

P50

10 year P90

10 year P10

Power price

Forecast by leading

- 10 per cent.

consultant

+ 10 per cent.

Inflation rate

2.00 per cent.

- 0.5 per cent.

+ 0.5 per cent.

Change in fair value 
of investments
€’000 

Change in NAV 
per share
cent 

(12,680)  

13,574

(29,912)  

29,686

(14,296)  

14,249

(11,402)  

12,142

(4.7)  

5.0

(11.1)  

11.0

(5.3)  

5.3

(4.2)  

4.5

The sensitivities above are assumed to be independent of each other. Combined sensitivities are not presented.

The  base  case  asset  life  assumption  is  25  years.  An  asset  life  sensitivity  is  not  presented  owing  to  the  difficulty  in 
quantifying various associated valuation drivers, including: ability to extend the lease term; ability to extend planning 
permission; commercial terms attaching to any lease extension; operating and maintenance costs associated with longer 
life; decommissioning costs; and scrap value. Notwithstanding the difficulty in quantification, the Investment Manager 
considers asset life extension to be of significant potential upside to the Group.

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51

GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

9.  UNCONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES, ASSOCIATES AND JOINT VENTURES

The following table shows subsidiaries of the Group. As the Company is regarded as an Investment Entity as referred 
to in note 2, these subsidiaries have not been consolidated in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements:

Investment

Place of Business

Registered Office

31 December 2017

Ownership  
Interest as at  

Knockacummer Wind Farm Limited

Killhills Wind Farm Limited

Ireland

Ireland

Riverside One, Sir John 
Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2

Riverside One, Sir John 
Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2

Security deposits and guarantees provided by the Group on behalf of its investments are as follows:

Provider of security

Investment 

Beneficiary 

Nature 

Purpose 

The Company

The Company

N/A

Killhills

AIB

 AIB

Cash

Cash

Security

Planning

100%

100%

Amount
€’000

3,399

100

3,499

The fair values of cash security deposits are as disclosed in the table above.

10.  RECEIVABLES

Group 

Deferred tax asset

Accrued income

VAT receivable

Prepayments

Company

Accrued income

Due from other group companies

VAT receivable

Prepayments

52

31 December 2017
€’000 

1,237

1,133

547

60

2,977

31 December 2017
€’000

3,077

1,678

405

60

5,220

GREENCOATRENEWABLES 
 
 
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

11.  PAYABLES

Group 

Investment management fees payable

Other payables

Share issue costs payable

Loan interest payable

Other finance costs payable

Company

Investment management fees payable

Other payables

Share issue costs payable

Other finance costs payable

12.  LOANS AND BORROWINGS

 Group at 31 December 2017

Opening balance

Loans acquired on acquisition

Project Finance Facility

  Repayments

  Break of swap

Fixed rate and profit participating loan notes

  Drawdowns

  Repayments

Revolving Credit Facility

  Drawdowns

Closing balance

For the period ending
31 December 2017
€’000 

659

455

113

80

5

1,312

For the period ending
31 December 2017
€’000

659

195

113

5

972

Totals
€’000

–

170,741

(165,939)  

(4,802)  

152,000

(152,000)  

71,169

71,169

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Loan
€’000

–

165,939

(165,939)

–

152,000

(152,000)

71,169

71,169

Swaps
€’000

–

4,802

–

(4,802)

–

–

–

–

The Company did not hold any loans or borrowings at 31 December 2017.

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53

GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

12.  LOANS AND BORROWINGS CONTINUED

Swap break costs

Fixed rate loan note interest

Other finance costs

Loan interest

Facility arrangement fees

Commitment fees

Professional fees

Finance expense

For the period  
ended  

31 December 2017
€’000 

3,585

3,353

2,321

1,927

1,224

34

20

12,464

The loan balance as at 31 December 2017 has not been adjusted to reflect amortised cost, as the amount is not materially 
different from the outstanding balances.

In relation to non-current loans and borrowings, the Directors are of the view that the current market interest rate is not 
significantly different to the respective instrument’s contractual interest rates, therefore the fair value of the non-current 
loans and borrowings at the end of the reporting periods is not significantly different from their carrying amounts.

The Company acquired Holdco and the wind farm SPVs on 9 March 2017 with a pre-existing project finance facility and 
associated interest rate swap in place. The facility was with DNB, BNP Paribas, Santander and Société Générale and had a 
margin of 2 per cent. per annum. The acquired principal of the loan was €165,939,141 and the fair value of the associated 
interest rate swap was €4,802,134.

During the period, €6,326,809 of the outstanding facility was repaid from the Portfolio’s cash flows, as part of the facility’s 
mandatory  repayment  profile.  In  August  2017,  the  Group  made  a  €90,000,000  voluntary  repayment  using  residual 
proceeds from the IPO. In December 2017, the Group made a €69,613,331 repayment clearing the outstanding balance 
under the facility using proceeds drawn down from the Revolving Credit Facility.

On 9 March 2017, the Company issued fixed rate and profit participating loan notes to AIB and the ISIF. The value of the 
fixed rate and profit participating loan notes issued to each noteholder was €58,150,486 and €17,849,514 respectively. 
The fixed rate loan note interest was 7.5 per cent. per annum, and the profit participating loan notes bore entitlement for 
each noteholder to receive a share of the profits of the Company. On 26 July 2017, all fixed rate and profit participating 
loan notes were redeemed in full. For the period ended 31 December 2017, €3,352,642 was paid in relation to fixed rate 
loan note interest. No monies were paid in relation to a share of the profits.

On 19 December 2017, the Company entered into a Revolving Credit Facility with AIB, BNP Paribas, Commerzbank, RBC 
and Santander of up to €250,000,000 with an accordion extension to €300,000,000.

The final maturity date of the Revolving Credit Facility is 19 December 2020, which is the third anniversary of the facility 
agreement. The margin is 1.8 per cent. plus EURIBOR per annum. The Group is obliged to pay a quarterly commitment 
fee of 0.63 per cent. per annum of the undrawn commitment available under the Revolving Credit Facility. Under the 
facility agreement, the lenders’ security consists of comprehensive debentures incorporating a fixed and floating charge 
over the Group including a charge over the Group’s bank accounts and shares in the underlying investments.

As at 31 December 2017, accrued interest on the Revolving Credit Facility was €38,607 and the accrued commitment fee 
was €33,953.

54

GREENCOATRENEWABLES 
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

13.  CONTINGENCIES & COMMITMENTS

On  21  December  2017,  the  Group  announced  an  agreement  with  Impax  Asset  Management  to  acquire  Dromadda 
More  wind  farm  for  total  consideration  of  €88.4  million.  The  Group  will  complete  the  acquisition  shortly  after  formal 
commissioning of the wind farm which is expected to occur in April 2018. The Group will fund the acquisition from a 
further drawdown under the Revolving Credit Facility.

As Dromadda More is a wind farm with less than 12 months’ operational data, the purchase price may be adjusted subject 
to a wind energy true-up based on a one year operational record once the operational data has become available.

The maximum adjustment to the purchase price for Dromadda More is €2,600,000.

14.  SHARE CAPITAL – ORDINARY SHARES

At 31 December 2017, the Company had authorised share capital of 1,000,000,000 ordinary shares of €0.01 each.

Date

Issued and fully paid 

Number of 
shares issued 

Share capital
€’000 

15 February 2017

Initial share capital(1)

29 May 2017

Further issue of shares(1)

25 July 2017

25 July 2017

25 July 2017

Redeemed at IPO(2)

Issued and paid(3)

270,000,000

Less share issue costs

10 November 2017

Capital reduction 

2

24,998

(25,000)  

–

–

–

25

(25)  

2,700

–

–

Share 
premium
€’000 

–

–

–

Total
€’000 

–

25

(25)  

267,300

(5,342)  

270,000

(5,342)  

(250,000)  

(250,000)  

31 December 2017

270,000,000

2,700

11,958

14,658

(1) Ordinary shares of €1 each 

(2)  Ordinary shares of €1 each were converted into redeemable shares and then redeemed at par out of the proceeds of the issue of the ordinary shares of 

€0.01 each and cancelled.

(3) Ordinary shares of €0.01 each

Shareholders  are  entitled  to  all  dividends  paid  by  the  Company  and,  on  a  winding  up,  provided  the  Company  has 
satisfied all of its liabilities, the Shareholders are entitled to all of the residual assets of the Company.

15.  NET ASSETS PER SHARE

Group and Company 

Net assets – €’000

Number of ordinary shares issued

Total net assets – cent

31 December 2017 

262,086

270,000,000

97.1

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55

GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

16. 

 RECONCILIATION OF OPERATING PROFIT FOR THE PERIOD TO NET CASH FROM OPERATING 
ACTIVITIES

Group

Operating profit for the period

Adjustments for:

Movement in fair value of investments (note 8)

Investment acquisition costs

Increase in receivables

Increase in payables

Net cash flows from operating activities

Company

Operating profit for the period

Adjustments for:

Movement in fair value of investments (note 8)

Investment acquisition costs

Increase in receivables 

Increase in payables

Net cash flows from operating activities

17.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT

For the period ended  
31 December 2017
€’000 

9,892

(7,702)  

2,524

(1,739)  

842

3,817

For the period ended  
31 December 2017
€’000

2,478

(3,700)  

2,524

(5,220)  

860

(3,058)  

The Investment Manager and the Administrator report to the Board on a quarterly basis and provide information to the 
Board which allows it to monitor and manage financial risks relating to its operations. The Group’s activities expose it 
to a variety of financial risks: market risk (including price risk, interest rate risk and foreign currency risk), credit risk and 
liquidity risk.

The Group’s market risk is managed by the Investment Manager in accordance with the policies and procedures in place. 
The Group’s overall market positions are monitored on a quarterly basis by the Board of Directors.

PRICE RISK
Price risk is defined as the risk that the fair value of a financial instrument held by the Group will fluctuate. Investments are 
measured at fair value through profit or loss and are valued on an unlevered, discounted cash flow basis. Therefore, the 
value of these investments will be (amongst other risk factors) a function of the discounted value of their expected cash 
flows and, as such, will vary with movements in interest rates and competition for such assets. Note 8 details sensitivity 
analysis on the impact of changes to the inputs used on the fair value of the investments.

56

GREENCOATRENEWABLESNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

17.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT CONTINUED

INTEREST RATE RISK
The Group’s interest rate risk on interest bearing financial assets is limited to interest earned on cash. The Investment 
Manager regularly monitors interest rates to ensure the Group has adequate provisions in place in the event of significant 
fluctuations.

The Directors consider shareholder loan investments to be similar in nature to equity investments and, as these loans 
bear interest at a fixed rate, they do not carry an interest rate risk.

The Directors consider, as the loans and borrowings bear interest at a fixed rate, they do carry an interest rate risk.

The Group’s interest and non-interest bearing assets and liabilities as at 31 December 2017 are summarised below:

Fixed rate
€’000

Interest bearing
Floating rate
€’000

Non-interest 
bearing
€’000

Group

Assets

Cash at bank

Other receivables

Investments

Liabilities

Other payables

Loans and borrowings

Company

Assets

Cash at bank

Other receivables

Investments

Liabilities

Other payables

–

–

79,752

79,752

–

(71,169)  

(71,169)  

14,794

–

–

14,794

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

14,514

–

–

14,514

–

–

Total
€’000

14,794

1,680

316,796

333,270

–

1,680

237,044

238,724

–

5,160

243,324

248,484

(1,312)  

–

(1,312)  

(1,312)  

(71,169)  

(72,481)  

Total
€’000

14,514

5,160

243,324

262,998

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(972)  

(972)  

(972)  

(972)  

The Company’s interest and non-interest bearing assets and liabilities as at 31 December 2017 are summarised below:

Fixed rate
€’000

Interest bearing
Floating rate
€’000

Non-interest 
bearing
€’000

FOREIGN CURRENCY RISK
Foreign currency risk is defined as the risk that the fair values of future cash flows will fluctuate because of changes in 
foreign exchange rates. The Group’s financial assets and liabilities are denominated in EUR and substantially all of its 
revenues and expenses are in EUR. The Group is not considered to be materially exposed to foreign currency risk.

57

GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

17.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT CONTINUED

CREDIT RISK
Credit risk is the risk of loss due to the failure of a borrower or counterparty to fulfil its contractual obligations. The Group 
is exposed to credit risk in respect of other receivables and cash at bank. The Group minimises its credit risk exposure 
by dealing with financial institutions with investment grade credit ratings. The Company has advanced loans to Holdco, 
however does not consider these loans a risk as they are intra-group.

The table below details the Group’s maximum exposure to credit risk:

Group

Other receivables

Cash at bank

Loan investments (note 8)

The table below details the Company’s maximum exposure to credit risk:

Company

Other receivables

Cash at bank

Loan investments (note 8)

31 December 2017
€’000 

1,680

14,794

171,651

188,125

31 December 2017
€’000 

5,160

14,514

213,581

233,255

The table below shows the cash balances of the Group and the Standard & Poor’s credit rating for each counterparty:

Group

Northern Trust

AIB

HSBC

Rating

31 December 2017
€’000

A+

BBB-

AA-

8,775

5,739

280

14,794

The table below shows the cash balances of the Company and the Standard & Poor’s credit rating for each counterparty:

Company

Northern Trust

AIB

58

Rating

A+

BBB-

31 December 2017
€’000

8,775

5,739

14,514

GREENCOATRENEWABLES 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

17.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT CONTINUED

LIQUIDITY RISK
Liquidity  risk  is  the  risk  that  the  Group  and  the  Company  may  not  be  able  to  meet  a  demand  for  cash  or  fund  an 
obligation when due. The Investment Manager and the Board continuously monitor forecast and actual cash flows from 
operating, financing and investing activities to consider payment of dividends, repayment of the Company’s outstanding 
debt or further investing activities.

As  disclosed  in  note  13,  the  purchase  price  of  wind  farms  acquired  with  less  than  12  months’  operational  data,  the 
purchase  price  may  be  adjusted  subject  to  a  wind  energy  true-up  based  on  a  one  year  operational  record  once  the 
operational data has become available.

The following tables detail the Group’s expected maturity for its financial assets (excluding equity) and liabilities together 
with the contractual undiscounted cash flow amounts:

Group – 31 December 2017

Less than 1 year
€’000

1 - 5 years
€’000

5+ years
€’000

Total
€’000

Assets

Other receivables

Cash at bank

Loan investments

Liabilities

Other payables

Loan and borrowings

1,680

14,794

12,874

(1,312)  

(1,281)  

26,755

–

–

–

–

51,495

171,651

–

(73,731)  

(22,236)   

–

–

171,651

1,680

14,794

236,020

(1,312)  

(75,012)  

176,170

The  following  tables  detail  the  Company’s  expected  maturity  for  its  financial  assets  (excluding  equity)  and  liabilities 
together with the contractual undiscounted cash flow amounts:

Company – 31 December 2017

Less than 1 year
€’000

1 - 5 years
€’000

5+ years
€’000

Total
€’000

Assets

Other receivables

Cash at bank

Loan investments

Liabilities

Other payables

5,160

14,514

–

(972)  

18,702

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

213,581

5,160

14,514

213,581

–

(972)  

213,581

232,283

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The Group and Company will use cash flow generation, equity raisings, debt refinancing or disposal of assets to manage 
liabilities as they fall due in the longer term.

CAPITAL RISK MANAGEMENT
The Company considers its capital to comprise ordinary share capital, distributable reserves and retained earnings. The 
Company is not subject to any externally imposed capital requirements.

The Group’s and the Company’s primary capital management objectives are to ensure the sustainability of its capital to 
support continuing operations, meet its financial obligations and allow for growth opportunities. Generally, acquisitions 
are anticipated to be funded by a combination of current cash, debt and equity.

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59

GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

18.  RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

On 9 March 2017, as part of the acquisition of the seed portfolio, the Company advanced an interest-free loan to Holdco 
of €31,100,000. On the 4 August 2017, the Company increased this loan by €92,220,730 for the purpose of making the 
project finance principal repayment and costs associated with the reduction of the swap.

On  9  March  2017,  as  part  of  the  acquisition  of  the  seed  portfolio,  the  Company  advanced  loans  to  Knockacummer 
and  Killhills  to  replace  loans  from  former  shareholders.  The  loans  advanced  were  €78,045,564  to  Knockacummer 
and €12,212,078 to Killhills. The balance of the loan receivable, including accrued interest, at 31 December 2017 was 
€79,649,240 with Knockacummer and €12,463,011 with Killhills. 

On 9 March 2017, as part of the acquisition of the seed portfolio, Holdco joined the Group with pre-existing shareholder 
loans in place with Knockacummer and Killhills, bearing a fixed interest rate of 7.5 per cent. per annum. During the period, 
the Group received loan interest repayments of €3,600,333 and capital repayments of €4,075,787 from the Portfolio. The 
balance of the loan receivable at 31 December 2017 was €57,809,154 with Knockacummer and €21,862,441 with Killhills. 

Holdco has a Management and Operating Agreement with Knockacummer and Killhills in relation to the management, 
operation and maintenance of the SPVs. Holdco receives a variable fee of €1 per MWh generated from both SPVs, which 
is subsequently paid to Brookfield.

In addition, the Company charged management fees to Knockacummer of €829,096 and to Killhills of €304,278, included 
in other income on the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income. These fees were in relation to the additional 
portfolio  management  costs  incurred  in  the  period  9  March  2017  to  31  December  2017  by  the  Company  as  well  as 
additional third party fees for in relation to consultancy of the budgeting and performance reviews of both SPVs. 

During the period there was no dividends receivable from the Group’s investments.

19.  ACQUISITIONS

On 9 March 2017, the Company acquired 100 per cent. of the equity of Holdco, a company incorporated in Ireland and 
held 100 per cent. of equity in the portfolio.

The amounts recognised in respect of the identifiable acquired assets and liabilities are set out in the table below:

Financial assets

Other receivables

Cash and cash equivalents

External Borrowings

Other liabilities

Consideration paid

Fair value movement on acquisition

Cost
€’000

111,100

86,402

6

(165,939)  

(31,869)  

(300)  

Fair Value
€’000

144,270

86,402

6

(165,939)  

(31,869)  

32,870

(26,043)  

6,827

Acquisition costs of €2,523,747 have been charged through the Statement of Comprehensive Income.

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Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 
For the period ended 31 December 2017 continued

20.  ULTIMATE CONTROLLING PARTY

In  the  opinion  of  the  Directors,  on  the  basis  of  the  shareholdings  advised  to  them,  the  Company  has  no  ultimate 
controlling party.

21.  SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

In February 2018, the Company announced the acquisition of the 9.2MW Lisdowney wind farm from a group of local 
developers.

There are no subsequent events except those noted above.

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Supplementary Information (unaudited)

DISCLOSURE REQUIRED UNDER THE ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENT FUND MANAGERS DIRECTIVE (“AIFMD”) 
FOR ANNUAL REPORTS OF ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENT FUNDS (“AIFS”)

ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENT FUND MANAGER’S DIRECTIVE
Under the Alternative Investment Fund Manager Regulations 2013 (as amended) the Company is an Irish AIF and the 
Investment Manager is a full scope UK AIFM.

Northern Trust International Fiduciary Services (Ireland) Limited provide depositary services under the AIFMD. Northern 
Trust International Fund Administration Services (Ireland) Limited provide accounting and administration services to the 
Company.

AIFMD outlines the required information which has to be made available to investors prior to investing in an AIF and 
directs that material changes to this information be disclosed in the Annual Report of the AIF. There were no material 
changes in the year.

All information required to be disclosed under the AIFMD is either disclosed in this Annual Report or within a schedule 
of disclosures on the Company’s website at www.greencoat-renewables.com.

The information in this paragraph relates to the Investment Manager, the AIFM, and its subsidiary company providing 
services to the AIFM and it does not relate to the Company. The total amount of remuneration paid by the Investment 
Manager to its 28 staff for the financial year ending 31 December 2017 was £5.4m, consisting of £4.5m fixed and £0.9m 
variable remuneration. For the period from 25th July 2017 to 31st December 2017, the aggregate amount of remuneration 
for the 5 staff members of the Investment Manager constituting senior management and those staff whose actions have 
a material impact on the risk profile of the Company was £0.4m.

The Investment Manager covers the potential professional liability risks resulting from its activities by holding professional 
indemnity insurance in accordance with Article 9(7)(b) of AIFMD.

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GREENCOATRENEWABLES 
Defined Terms

Admission Document mean the Admission Document of the Company published on 25 July 2017

AIB means Allied Irish Bank plc

AIC means the Association of Investment Companies

AIC Code of Corporate Governance sets out a framework of best practice in respect of the governance of investment 
companies. It has been endorsed by the Financial Reporting Council as an alternative means for our members to meet 
their obligations in relation to the UK Corporate Governance Code

AIC Guide means the AIC’s Corporate Governance Guide for Investment Companies

AIF means Alternative Investment Funds (as defined in AIFMD)

AIFM means Alternative Investment Fund Manager (as defined in AIFMD)

AIFMD means Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive

AGM means Annual General Meeting of the Company

BDO means the Company’s Auditor as at the reporting date

BNP Paribas means BNP Paribas Fortis N.V / S.A

Board means the Directors of the Company

Brookfield means Brookfield Asset Management, Brookfield Renewables Partners L.P, and/or BRI Green Energy Limited

Company means Greencoat Renewables PLC

CPI means Consumer Price Index

DCF means Discounted Cash Flow

DNB means DNB Bank ASA

ESM means Enterprise Securities Market of the Irish Stock Exchange

EU means the European Union

EURIBOR means the Euro Interbank Offered Rate

Eurozone means the area comprised 19 of the 28 Member States which have adopted the euro as their common currency 
and sole legal tender

FRC means Financial Reporting Council

GAV means Gross Asset Value as defined in the Admission Document

Group means Greencoat Renewables PLC, GR Wind Farms 1 Limited and GR Wind Farms 2 Limited

Holdco means GR Wind Farms 1 Limited

Holdco2 means GR Wind Farms 2 Limited

Holdcos means Holdco and Holdco2

IAS means International Accounting Standard

IFRS means International Financial Reporting Standards

Investment Management Agreement means the agreement between the Company and the Investment Manager

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GREENCOAT RENEWABLES ANNUAL REPORT 2017 
 
Defined Terms continued

Investment Manager means Greencoat Capital LLP

IPEV means the International Private Equity and Venture Capital

IPO means Initial Public Offering

Irish Corporate Governance Annex is a corporate governance annex addressed to companies with a primary equity 
listing on the Main Securities Market of the Irish Stock Exchange

IRR means internal rate of return

ISIF means Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (controlled and managed by the National Treasury Management Agency)

I-SEM means the Integrated Single Electricity Market, which is a new wholesale electricity market arrangement for Ireland 
and Northern Ireland

Killhills means Killhills Wind Farm Limited

Knockacummer means Knockacummer Wind Farm Limited

NAV means Net Asset Value as defined in the Admission Document

NAV per Share means the Net Asset Value per Ordinary Share

NOMAD means a company that has been approved as a nominated advisor for the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), 
by the Irish Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange

Portfolio means Killhills and Knockacummer.

PPA means Power Purchase Agreement entered into by the Group’s wind farms

RBC means Royal Bank of Canada

REFIT means Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariff

Revolving Credit Facility means the revolving credit facility between the group and AIB, BNP Paribas, Commerzbank, 
RBC and Santander

Review Section means the front end review section of this report (including but not limited to the Chairman’s Statement 
and the Investment Manager’s Report)

RPI means Retail Price Index

Santander means Abbey National Treasury Services Plc (trading as Santander Global Corporate Banking)

SEM means the Single Electricity Market, which is the wholesale electricity market operating in the Republic of Ireland 
and Northern Ireland

Société Générale means Société Générale, London Branch

Solar PV means a solar photovoltaic system, which is a power system designed to supply usable solar power by means 
of photovoltaics.

SPVs  means the Special Purpose Vehicles, which hold the Group’s investment portfolio of underlying operating wind 
farms

TSR means Total Shareholder Return

UK means United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

64

GREENCOATRENEWABLESForward Looking Statements and other
Important Information

This  document  may  include  statements  that  are,  or  may  be  deemed  to  be,  “forward-looking  statements”.  These 
forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms “believes”, 
“estimates”, “anticipates”, “expects”, “intends”, “may”, “plans”, “projects”, “will”, “explore” or “should” or, in each 
case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology or by discussions of strategy, plans, objectives, goals, 
future events or intentions.

These  forward-looking  statements  include  all  matters  that  are  not  historical  facts.  They  may  appear  in  a  number  of 
places throughout this document and may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the intentions, beliefs or 
current expectations of the Company, the Directors and/or the Investment Manager concerning, amongst other things, 
the  investment  objectives  and  investment  policy,  financing  strategies,  investment  performance,  results  of  operations, 
financial condition, liquidity, prospects, and distribution policy of the Company and the markets in which it invests.

By  their  nature,  forward-looking  statements  involve  risks  and  uncertainties  because  they  relate  to  future  events  and 
depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of 
future performance. The Company’s actual investment performance, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, 
distribution policy and the development of its financing strategies may differ materially from the impression created by, 
or described in or suggested by, the forward-looking statements contained in this document.

In addition, even if actual investment performance, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, distribution policy 
and the development of its financing strategies, are consistent with any forward looking statements contained in this 
document, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods. A 
number of factors could cause results and developments of the Company to differ materially from those expressed or 
implied  by  the  forward  looking  statements  including,  without  limitation,  general  economic  and  business  conditions, 
global  renewable  energy  market  conditions,  industry  trends,  competition,  changes  in  law  or  regulation,  changes  in 
taxation regimes, the availability and cost of capital, currency fluctuations, changes in its business strategy, political and 
economic uncertainty. Any forward-looking statements herein speak only at the date of this document.

As a result, you are cautioned not to place any reliance on any such forward-looking statements and neither the Company 
nor any other person accepts responsibility for the accuracy of such statements.

Subject  to  their  legal  and  regulatory  obligations,  the  Company,  the  Directors  and  the  Investment  Manager  expressly 
disclaim any obligations to update or revise any forward- looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in 
expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based.

In addition, this document may include target figures for future financial periods. Any such figures are targets only and are 
not forecasts. Nothing in this document should be construed as a profit forecast or a profit estimate.

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