Macquarie Group’s Managing Director and CEO, Shemara Wikramanayake, has announced a major investment initiative to expand electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure across the UK. The Australia-based financial services firm will support the installation of a nationwide network of fast-charging EV stations as part of a larger £20 billion ($26 billion) investment across its UK portfolio.
At the UK’s International Investment Summit, Macquarie’s portfolio company, Roadchef, one of the leading motorway service operators in the country, unveiled plans to install around 650 fast-charging points at its service stations. The project will be carried out in partnership with other firms to accommodate the growing number of EV drivers.
The charging stations will be partly powered by new on-site solar energy capacity totaling 9 MW. Roadchef also plans to pilot heavy goods vehicle (HGV) charging solutions at two key locations on the motorway network and prepare 100 additional parking bays for future electric HGVs.
Shemara Wikramanayake, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Macquarie Group said, “The upgrade of Roadchef sites is our latest in a long line of investments in UK infrastructure and we have plans to invest more. We believe that infrastructure investment helps create strong foundations for economic growth, job creation, better services for the public and stronger communities. We are fully invested in the UK’s success and look forward to playing our part in delivering the investment the country needs.”
Roadchef’s EV infrastructure project is just one element of Macquarie’s broader £20 billion UK investment strategy, which also includes significant projects in renewable energy, utilities, transport, and digital infrastructure across England, Wales, and Scotland.
This includes 5GW of new offshore wind projects, including developments off the Orkney and Lincolnshire coasts; solar power and battery energy storage projects, including the UK’s largest new solar initiative in Nottinghamshire; investments in gas transmission and distribution networks serving millions of homes and businesses; ultra-fast broadband rollout to rural communities; new housing developments in Edinburgh and Birmingham; and construction of the UK’s first new reservoir in 30 years and upgrades to essential water infrastructure.