Heelstone Renewable Energy, a Qualitas Energy company, reinforces growth with strategic hires

• The financial team, investment team, and EPC team—critical to the company’s operational success—will be strengthened
• Heelstone holds an extensive portfolio comprising solar PV and storage assets across the United States

DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Heelstone Renewable Energy (“Heelstone”), a premier US utility-scale renewable energy platform, which was acquired by Qualitas Energy in May 2024, announced today the addition of three senior professionals to its team. These key hires will enhance the company’s operations at its Durham, North Carolina headquarters.

Hanno Vrolijk has been appointed as the Chief Financial Officer of Heelstone. In this role, he oversees and manages the financial, accounting, and asset management functions. Prior to joining Heelstone, Hanno held CFO positions in the United States, the Netherlands and Luxembourg at Repsol, a global Spanish headquartered global multi-energy company. In his latest role as CFO Renewables North America for Repsol, Hanno co-led the start-up of renewable energy operations in the United States and supported the development and growth of a large utility scale portfolio.

Joining the Investment team, Kyle P. Lauter will serve as Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions (VP of M&A). Kyle is an experienced Energy Finance & risk professional with 15+ years’ experience across the industry including project finance, development, valuations, debt & equity investing, construction management and asset management. Prior to joining Heelstone, Kyle worked at Vestas, EDF Renewables, and GE Capital.

For the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) team, Talbott Ingram has come on board as Senior Vice President. Tal is responsible for the successful execution of the Heelstone solar facilities. His responsibilities include leading Heelstone’s engineering, procurement and construction teams from development support, through construction and handoff of successfully operating plants. He began solar construction in 2008 and has constructed over 2GW of solar projects throughout the United States for EPC firms prior to joining Heelstone.

Heelstone now employs over 45 professionals, a team whose invaluable expertise spans the entire lifecycle of projects and offers a deep understanding of the US renewable energy sector.

Heelstone holds an extensive portfolio with a successful track record spanning over a decade, excelling as a clean energy development platform with a diverse range of projects across the United States. Under the guidance of Qualitas Energy, Heelstone aims to advance as a comprehensive Independent Power Producer (IPP) platform in the country, driving the company’s growth trajectory.

About Heelstone Renewable Energy
Heelstone Renewable Energy, LLC (Heelstone) is a leading solar and storage independent power producer with expertise in development, construction, and operation. Based in Durham, North Carolina, Heelstone has extensive knowledge of project finance and a proven track record from over a decade in bringing utility-scale solar projects to fruition. Heelstone continues to add to its development pipeline and operating portfolio as it expands its presence in markets across the United States. For more information, visit www.heelstoneenergy.com.

About Qualitas Energy
Qualitas Energy is a leading fund manager and platform for the investment, management, and development of renewable energy, energy transition, and sustainable infrastructure. Since 2006, the Qualitas Energy team has managed investments of over €12 billion in renewable energies worldwide. These investments have been deployed through five vehicles: Fotowatio / FRV, Vela Energy, Qualitas Energy III, Qualitas Energy IV, and Qualitas Energy V.

Qualitas Energy’s existing portfolio currently holds 11 GW of operating and development energy assets across Spain, Germany, the UK, Italy, Poland, Chile, and the United States. This includes 7 GWp of solar PV assets, 4 GW of wind energy assets, 242 of concentrated solar power (CSP) assets, 60 MW of hydroelectric power assets, 6 MW of battery storage assets, and 1.8 TWh of biomethane assets.

Since 2020, Qualitas Energy has produced sufficient energy to power 1.54 million homes and, since 2021, has successfully avoided emissions of 1.32 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent.

The Qualitas Energy team is composed of more than 500 professionals across fifteen offices in Madrid, Berlin, London, Milan, Hamburg, Wiesbaden, Trier, Cologne, Stuttgart, Warsaw, Wroclaw, Santiago, Durham, Bristol, and Edinburgh.

Please visit qualitasenergy.com for further information.

Media contacts
Henar Hernández
Global Head of Communications
[email protected]
+34 697 11 68 72

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a6095819-23f6-4085-92a6-db6c1b35d80a