New Retail Energy Provider Formed, Announces Equity Backing Of Up To $60 Million From Private Equity Firm

Start-up Catalyst Power Holdings LLC (Catalyst), an integrated retail energy and distributed energy solutions provider, announced today an initial equity backing of up to $60 million from the energy-focused private equity fund BP Energy Partners (BPEP) of Dallas, Texas, and Catalyst management.

"The investment allows Catalyst to begin purchasing electric and gas retail energy providers (REPs) and fund the development of novel, difficult-to-access and highly repeatable energy supply options for underserved middle-market commercial and industrial end-use customers," the company said

Catalyst, based in New York, is led by energy industry entrepreneur Gabriel Phillips, who previously founded and grew GP Energy Management, a boutique energy management firm. Phillips also previously served as a trader at RBS Sempra Commodities

Phillips expects Catalyst to acquire operating REPs with a focus on commercial business in the deregulated northeastern US markets.

"I have long sought to assist underserved customers by providing energy supply products and services that break down the barriers to and unlock the value typically stranded in existing energy supply options," said Phillips. "This is the right moment to be a buyer of today’s REP businesses, large and small, and integrate them into a disruptive new business model for tomorrow."

Catalyst's website states, "Distributed energy resources and other value-additive retail energy supply options are proliferating – especially distributed generation. At this time, only sizable and highly connected market players can access these valuable opportunities efficiently and to scale. Catalyst Power democratizes access to these opportunities by leveraging new and existing tools to identify, underwrite, fund, and operate more cost-effective onsite projects for its REP customers."