: ARGO is a leading mid-market asset manager with over $ 6 billion in high-quality infrastructure investments in 18 assets that offer its communities essential services. Assets such as supply companies, renewable energies, digital infrastructure and other infrastructure assets for long duration.
Let’s start with Argos Investment Focus. Why infrastructure goods? In his annual letter to the JPMorgan shareholders, Jamie Dimon has dedicated a considerable amount of space to discuss the infrastructure. Why now?
Jason Zibarras: There is an undeniable need for considerable infrastructure investments, especially if you think about some of the megatrends that drive demand/needs and lead to increased electricity and network requirements.
Jamie Dimon quoted some convincing statistics. These are long -term strategic considerations.
The United States now invest only 0.55% of their GDP for the infrastructure.
The OECD average is 0.81%, 0.55 compared to .81 does not seem to be a big difference, but that is 30%less than the OECD average and China’s expenses are 10 times in the USA at 5.56%. You will also receive more value/asset in the soil for every dollar invested.
The United States has to provide a lot more money for the infrastructure in order to achieve the political goals, especially in the data / AI area.
Corpgov: This is a good commitment in Tierpoint, the data center company, which ARGO for investors manages. How do you consider the business opportunities of data centers as a total investment?
Jason Zibarras: Tierpoint is one of the most geographically diversified US corporate data center points with dozens of first-class cloud-capable data centers in 20 markets that are connected to kitchen by a fiber network on the coast.
Tierpoint has an enormous demand for corporate and high-density services that are required for artificial intelligence and other arithmetic, GPU-accelerated workloads.
This month we have completed a new subscription of 500 million US dollars, which increases total funding of IG paper of 1.8 billion US dollars.
We were able to finance the investment grade at 120 basis points more secure than in the previous year. The strong demand for animal points paper shows the trust of investors in the business model. Investors recognize the strong cash flow calculation centers and how resilient it is.
The additional capital we have raised will prepare future growth with a financing structure.
Corpgov: Data centers depend on the reliable flow and the storage of energy; I know that Argo also helps. Can you explain how iron energy helps the supply company to manage their electricity load requirements?
Jason Zibarras: Before I explain what iron energy does, I have to put the problem of electricity needs into context.
According to a recently carried out S&P research paper, the US electricity requirement will be increased by 2.5 times in the next 15 years. Strom grids are already with bottlenecks and fighting to keep up with demand.
It is not easy to solve this problem. Adding generations and transmission capacity is an expensive and time -consuming process with many long -term times.
The generation of electricity is often not about the top requirement. Supply companies and supervisory authorities are desperate according to solutions that can be used today to cover the question of tops and enable renewable/intermittent energy, regardless of whether they are generated.
ICE Energy is a thermal energy storage company that offers a distributed solutions for virtual power plants for nerve -wracking standards for permanent load shift. Top values to sacks, which helps the supply company to meet their requirements for the appropriateness of the resources and ultimately save consumers and companies and at the same time improve their CO2 footprint.
Korpgov: How does iron energy help to manage electricity needs?
Jason Zibarras: Our polar bear product line stores energy by freezing and storing ice cream in cooler, sending hours. Around 1/3 grid energy in hot parts of the United States is used to cool the room.
During the peak times, it switches off energy -intensive alternating current compressors and uses the stored ice to cool down for up to 8 hours. This lowers the total costs for our customers.
The time difference in energy consumption helps the net load and solution to the effects of non -agreement in production and demand.
Corpgov: How do customers save money?
Customers cannot change if they need air conditioning, but polar bear can shift electricity consumption to outside the peak times if the rates are much cheaper. Customers can save 20 to 30% for their electricity bills.
Corpgov: How does the environmental shift with polar bear affect?
Jason Zibarras: This is the beauty of polar bear – it has no environmental impact. The process is freezing and the same volume of self -contained water is broken down, which means that no additional water is required.
It has almost zero CO2 footprint; It is 100% manufactured in the USA and does not require minerals for rare earth.
Corpgov: Argo has an interesting investment for hydropower generation, tell me about it?
Jason Zibarras: Argo has a 50/50 partnership with Brookfield Asset Management, in which we put together the Smoky Mountain Hydro facilities in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. It is a large asset that with Tennessee Valley Authority provides a 10-year electricity contract contract. In addition, in the fourth quarter of 2024 we have concluded an oversized debt financing contract.
In fact, one of the smoky dams was in a film with Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones – the refugee in which Harrison Ford jumps off the dam.
Corpgov: How do you see the infrastructure as a wealth class?
Jason Zibarras: I am biased, but there is an enormous part of the investments in the infrastructure.
This is not a unique view. In his annual letter to Blackrock shareholders, Larry Fink quoted breathtaking statistics: by 2040, the global demand for new infrastructure investments will be 68 billion dollars. Blackrock also bought global infrastructure partners last year.
Korpgov: Before we come to the conclusion, are there funny facts about yourself that you would like to share?
Jason Zibarras: Sure, I will share a funny fact.
I was an executive producer of the “The Kill Room”. World class – including Uma Thurman, Joe Manganiello and Samuel L. Jackson.
The unforgettable project, the locations of NY and Miami and great people with whom they can work, was always fun, even a short cameo.
Korpgov: This is great, thank you for being here in the Nasdaq Market Space.
Jason Zibarras: Thank you for having me.
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About Argo infrastructure partners
Argo Infrastructure Partners LP, founded by Jason Zibarras, is an independent fund manager with a long -term approach to infrastructure investments. ARGO invests in high -quality infrastructure companies and assets that offer their communities essential services for their long company life, including investments in supply companies, renewable energies, digital infrastructure and other long -term infrastructure values. The investment philosophy of Argo couples for the sound investment return with responsible and sustainable investments. From January 2025, Argo will manage assets on behalf of his investor partners over 6 billion US dollars. You can find more information under Viewing www.argoip.com.
