Apollo-managed funds have acquired a majority interest in Composite Advanced Technologies, Inc, a provider of compressed natural gas (CNG), renewable natural gas (RNG) and hydrogen transportation and storage solutions in the United States, according to a news release.
CATEC’s products and services help its customers transition away from carbon-intensive fossil fuels towards cleaner alternatives. Founded in 2014 and based in Houston, CATEC manufactures large format Type IV cylinders that facilitate the use of natural gas and hydrogen across a wide variety of industry applications when mounted on mobile trailers or used in stationary applications.
TerraNova Capital served as financial advisor and Baker Botts L.L.P. acted as legal counsel to CATEC. Vinson & Elkins LLP acted as legal counsel to the Apollo Funds. Financial terms were not disclosed.
CATEC’s high capacity, lightweight trailers and storage solutions help end-customers decarbonize, while making lower carbon energy sources more accessible and affordable. Gaseous fuels are one important solution for reducing carbon emissions in certain ‘hard-to-abate’ sectors. As penetration of natural gas continues and the hydrogen economy grows, logistics are expected be a constraint and CATEC is an early mover in providing safe and efficient solutions for a wide range of end uses.
Apollo Funds intend to invest further capital behind the company, seeking to establish a leading gaseous equipment manufacturing and services platform with enhanced capabilities and customer offerings to support expansion in the high-growth hydrogen transport and storage market, the release states.
Apollo Partner Scott Browning said, “CATEC’s proprietary manufacturing capabilities are critical to supporting the growing market demand to reduce carbon emissions in ‘hard-to-decarbonize’ industries. The CATEC team has built an impressive business, which we believe can scale to become a one-stop-shop platform for serving the equipment needs of the compressed gas value chain through various expansion initiatives. We look forward to helping accelerate the Company’s growth trajectory in support of the broader energy transition.”
Alberto Chiesara, Co-Founder and President of CATEC, added, “We are pleased to join forces with Apollo Funds to help expand our capabilities and better support the growing adoption of low-carbon fuel solutions such as hydrogen, RNG and CNG. Apollo’s track record in energy transition investing, industry experience and significant resources make them an ideal partner for CATEC as we scale and embark on our next phase of growth.”
Co-Founder of CATEC Ryan Comerford said, “It has been a privilege to help lead the team, and I’m confident new management, with the backing of Apollo Funds, will position the Company for further growth and success.”
The transaction underscores Apollo’s commitment to driving a more sustainable future and long track record of investing in or lending to companies supporting the energy transition. Last year, Apollo launched its Sustainable Investing Platform, which targets to deploy $50 in clean energy and climate capital by 2027 and sees the opportunity to deploy more than $100bn by 2030. Over the last five years, Apollo Funds have deployed over $23bn into energy transition and sustainability-related investments, supporting companies and projects across clean energy and infrastructure, including offshore and onshore wind, solar, storage, renewable fuels, electric vehicles as well as a wide range of technologies to facilitate decarbonization.
