Largest PA C-PACE deal closed; Philly total @$100MM

Nuveen Green Capital Provides $30 Million in Financing Through the Philadelphia
C-PACE Program for Freezpak Logistics

Philadelphia-area based BG Capital uses C-PACE to complete capital stack for new construction of industrial cold storage facility

Nuveen Green Capital and the Philadelphia Energy Authority announced the closing of $30.08 million in Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) financing for a cold storage facility at 2201 E. Allegheny Avenue in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia. This is the largest C-PACE deal to-date in Pennsylvania.

This brings the total amount of C-PACE dollars invested by private sector lenders to $100MM in Philadelphia, a true landmark in the program which became active in late 2019, just before the pandemic-induced recession.

C-PACE financing is being used for extensive energy efficiency improvements, making the building 30% more efficient than required by Philadelphia’s building energy code. Financed measures include energy efficient walls and glass, interior and exterior LED lighting, variable volume air handlers, freezer evaporators, domestic water heater, and exhaust fans. C-PACE financing is projected to contribute to the annual reduction of 1,661,573 pounds of CO2-e.  

According to BG Capital’s Managing Partner Joe Byrne, “in these challenging times, alternative debt solutions like C-PACE have now become critical in rounding out the capital stack within larger scale projects. We are extremely fortunate to work with the team at Nuveen Green Capital on getting this deal over the finish line and working with a company whose product has an emphasis on sustainability within our industry.”

Shelah Wallace, Director, Originations at Nuveen Green Capital stated that “it was a pleasure to work closely with BG Capital and Freezpak, Ocean First Bank, and the Philadelphia Energy Authority on getting us to the closing table at a time when interest rates continuously fluctuated and parties risked losing rate locks. We look forward to financing more energy efficient projects together in the future.”

“This project is a great example of how clean energy financing enables job creation and creates economic development. We use energy as a tool for positive local impact, and this project exemplifies that,” said Matt Stern, Senior Director of Commercial Programs at the Philadelphia Energy Authority, which administers the Philadelphia C-PACE program. “In addition to the construction jobs being created by this facility, Freezpak expects to generate over 60 permanent jobs at the facility.”

Details on this and all Philadelphia C-PACE deals can be found here.

Interested in learning more about C-PACE? Contact us at cpace@philaenergy.org and/or attend our C-PACE Open Meetings