Cornish heat source pump specialist lands £70m funding package

A Cornish energy company has received £70m worth of funding from one of the country’s leading investors.

Heat source energy specialist Kesna has received the money from Octopus Energy’s generation arm and Legal & General Capital.

The deal is the biggest investment ever made in ground source technology in Britain. Established in 1999, privately-owned, and headquartered in Truro, Cornwall, the Kensa Group is a fast-growing collection of businesses involved in the manufacture and installation of ground source heat pumps and the ownership of associated underground infrastructure.

It will allow Kensa to rapidly expand and install 50,000 ground source heat pumps a year by 2030.

Chief executive Dr Matthew Trewhella described the deal as a monumental moment for ground source heat pumps.

The UK is targeting 600,000 heat pump installations a year by 2028 as part of wider efforts to decarbonise the heating industry and realise its net-zero ambitions.

By harnessing freely available heat energy in the ground or water, electrically powered ground source heat pumps work like a fridge in reverse. They produce around four units of clean heat for every one unit of electricity they consume, making them much more efficient than gas boilers.

They are recognised by the Government as a key solution to tackling heating emissions and weaning the country off gas.
This investment will make heat pumps even more accessible to more properties, including retrofits for social housing, terraced housing, and non-domestic buildings.

As part of the deal, finance will be provided to offer house builders, housing associations, and non-domestic customers Kensa’s ‘Networked Heat Pumps’ solution at a lower cost.

This will effectively creates a new renewable energy asset class – kick-starting growth towards a sector that could exceed £1bn by 2030.

Zoisa North-Bond, chief executive of Octopus Energy Generation, said: “The heat pump revolution is off to a flying start: it’s a tried and tested replacement for gas boilers and can drive down consumers’ energy bills for good.

“Backing Kensa will help rapidly expand Britain’s fast-growing ground source heat pump economy. This is a huge milestone for our exciting new energy transition fund, as we invest in ambitious companies rolling out tech to turbocharge the clean energy shift.”

Dr Matthew Trewhella, CEO of The Kensa Group, said: “This is a monumental moment for ground source heat pumps. This investment will help unlock Kensa’s vision of a mass transition to low carbon heating by replacing the gas grid with its 21st-century equivalent – an ambient temperature heat network.

“Our approach harnesses the power of investment capital funding infrastructure, reduces the strain on our electricity grid and enables a just transition – keeping heating costs low and addressing fuel poverty simultaneously with climate change mitigation. We’re extremely proud to partner with Octopus Energy and Legal & General Capital who show incredible leadership in bringing about our low carbon energy future.”

John Bromley, Managing Director – Clean Energy, at Legal & General Capital, said:”Legal & General Capital continues to invest in leading energy transition businesses capable of delivering significant economic, social, and environmental benefits for our economy.

“LGC first partnered with Kensa in April 2020 with the shared aim of scaling up the deployment of ground source heat pumps in the UK through their long-term solution that is highly efficient and reliable. Since our initial investment, they have grown quickly, opening a new factory and delivering some prestigious new-build and retrofit installations across the UK.

“We are delighted to make our third significant investment in Kensa together with Octopus Energy, recognising the significant role Kensa can play in reducing UK dependence on natural gas through a transition to low-carbon heating.”

The investment, which is subject to applicable regulatory approval, is expected to complete in the third quarter of 2023.

Kensa’s corporate financial advisors were PMB Capital and EcoPragma Capital LLP, and its legal team was Tozers and Lux Nova.