- Hecate Energy will go public via an Up-C merger with SPAC EGH Acquisition at a $1.2B pre-money enterprise value.
- EGH’s trust can provide up to $155M, but closing requires at least $50M of net trust cash after redemptions and expenses.
- Hecate contributes a 47+ GW U.S. portfolio across 26 states, with 12+ GW already sold and 4+ GW in advanced negotiations.
- The deal targets mid-to-Q3 2026 closing and includes rollover equity, lockups, and a tax receivable agreement, with key risks from approvals, redemptions, and execution/policy headwinds.
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The merger of Hecate Energy Group LLC and EGH Acquisition Corp represents a strategic move for Hecate to access public markets through an Up-C SPAC transaction. At a $1.2 billion enterprise valuation, the deal delivers significant capital to support Hecate’s scaling ambitions across utility-scale energy parks in the U.S., while offering EGH’s shareholders the ability to redeem or hold post-transaction equity. The transaction provides up to $155 million of liquidity via the trust account—essential for financing near-term development in a capital-intensive sector.
Hecate brings to the table a considerable and diversified pipeline: 47+ GW in generation capacity, spread across solar, wind, thermal, and storage, and across 26 states and eight grid markets, with a span of projects under advanced execution or in negotiation. This breadth gives multiple paths to monetization—whether through direct asset sales, BTAs or DSAs, or through Hecate’s evolution into an Independent Power Producer (IPP) with long-term cash flows.
Deal structure mechanics are more complex than a plain SPAC merger. It’s an Up-C, meaning that EGH becomes a holding company over Hecate, which has implications for tax flows, governance, and downside protection. Key contractual guardrails include a required minimum of $50 million in trust cash post-redemptions, lock-up agreements for existing management, sponsors and parent holders, and a tax receivable agreement (85% of certain realized tax benefits accruing to parent) as standard in Up-C deals.
Strategic implications include the ability to tap institutional capital more readily, raise profile in energy transition, and address growing demand from data centers, hyperscalers, and large load customers. Yet, the deal is not without risk: execution risk remains (shareholder approval, regulatory filings, SEC S-4 effectiveness), financial risk if redemptions are high or trust cash falls below thresholds, market risk with interest, policy shifts or supply chain issues, and valuation risk—whether the $1.2B EV delivers investor returns given long project development cycles and inflation in expansion costs.
Open questions to monitor include: How much of the $155 million is PIPE or committed vs. contingent; what discount rate/investor returns are implied by project development revenue vs. long-term IPP cash flows; how Hecate’s cost structure and capital intensity compare to peer IPPs; and how regulatory or grid interconnection bottlenecks may affect the timeline or capital deployment.
Supporting Notes
- Pre-money enterprise value of the transaction: $1.2 billion.
- EGH’s trust account will supply up to $155 million for Hecate’s development pipeline, shareholder redemptions, and transaction expenses.
- Total project portfolio exceeds 47 GW across 26 U.S. states and eight power markets.
- Projects sold to date exceed 12 GW; more than 4 GW in exclusivity or in advanced negotiations.
- Post-merger structure: Up-C model, with EGH becoming public holding company, Hecate operating the assets.
- Minimum closing condition: $50 million net cash must remain in the trust after redemption and expenses.
- Lock-up agreements binding sponsor, parent company, and management for one year with staggered partial release thereafter.
- Hecate will emit wholly rolled equity; existing management continues to lead post-closing.
- Expected closing timeline: mid-2026 up to third quarter 2026, subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals.
- Tax receivable agreement will provide Parent 85% of certain realized tax benefits in the structure, customary for Up-C deals.
