Type Private Number of employees 100+ | Total assets $33 billion Founded 2000 | |
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Industry Private equity, Energy & Power Headquarters 712 5th Avenue
New York, New York, United Statest Products Leveraged buyout, Growth capital Founders Jr. David M. Leuschen, Pierre F. Lapeyre | ||
Riverstone holdings partner mark papa discusses the outlook for a changing shale sector in the us
Riverstone Holdings is a private equity firm based in New York City, established in 2000, focused on leveraged buyout and growth capital investments in the Energy industry and Electrical power industry sectors. The firm focuses on oil and gas exploration, midstream pipeline, electric generation, energy and power services as well as energy and power technology and also invests in renewable energy infrastructure and technology.
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History
Riverstone was founded by Pierre F. Lapeyre, Jr. and David M. Leuschen, who had been instrumental in the formation of the Goldman Sachs Global Energy & Power Group in the mid 1980s.
The firm is based in New York and has offices in London and Houston. Riverstone and Carlyle closed on their first fund with $222 million of commitments in 2001. In June 2004, the firms completed fundraising for Carlyle/Riverstone Global Energy & Power Fund II, with $1.1 billion of investor commitments, almost five times the size of the first fund. In 2006, Riverstone and Carlyle raised a pair of funds, including the third in its series of main funds, Carlyle/Riverstone Global Energy and Power III, which raised $3.8 billion of capital. The two firms also raised their first renewable energy focused fund, Carlyle/Riverstone Renewable Energy Infrastructure Fund I, with $685 Million.
Also in 2006, Riverstone was a member of a consortium of private equity firms including Goldman Sachs Capital Partners and Carlyle Group that completed the $27.5 billion (including assumed debt) acquisition of Kinder Morgan, one of the largest pipeline operators in the US. The buyout was backed by Richard Kinder, a former president of Enron.
In 2008, Riverstone and Carlyle raised $6 billion for their fourth main energy fund, Riverstone/Carlyle Global Power & Energy Fund IV. Additionally in 2008, the firms raised a $3.4 billion Riverstone/Carlyle Renewable Energy Infrastructure Fund II as a successor to the $685 million fund raised in 2006 to focus on renewable energy investments.
Controversies
In 2009 the New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo ordered Riverstone Holdings LLC to pay $30 million in restitution after Riverstone Holdings employed fixers to get them business from pension funds controlled by "corrupt" state officials.
In December 2014 Cobalt International Energy, a company founded by Riverstone Holdings and Goldman Sachs, was alleged to have bribed Angolan officials to obtain oil drilling rights. Riverstone Holdings are a defendant in the case. The Securities and Exchange Commission and United States Department of Justice are also investigating the case.
Operations
In 2016, Riverstone and Carlyle have six main funds focused on buyouts in energy with approximately $34 billion of raised capital.