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At Blackfinch, we understand that investing in renewable energy assets is about more than just the numbers. It’s about trust. That’s why the way we manage these assets within the Adapt Inheritance Tax (IHT) Service goes above and beyond industry expectations. Our Energy team takes a value-led, risk-focused approach that ensures every asset in the portfolio is performing at its best — safely, sustainably and strategically.

A Strategy Grounded in Best Practice

The team’s portfolio management approach is inspired by globally recognised frameworks – ISO 55000 and ISO 31000 – helping to ensure consistent delivery and long-term value. While our internal Portfolio Management (PM) team is lean by design, we extend our capabilities through trusted asset management and operations and maintenance partners. This flexible model allows us to respond quickly and effectively as the portfolio evolves.

Clear Accountabilities That Drive Performance

We’ve structured the PM team around two core areas of accountability: technical and commercial.

• On the technical side, the team focuses on safety, preventative maintenance and yield optimisation. This strategy maintains optimum value for the assets over their lifecycle and helps prevent potential disruption to energy generation. They’re also responsible for making sure we get the best value for money with our Operation and Maintenance and Asset Management agreements, both in terms of price and scope of services.
• Commercially, the team manages insurance and optimises revenues, while ensuring robust compliance at every stage. 

Leadership oversight plays a vital role in making sure that the right people are doing the right things, at the right time, in the right way – and with the right information to guide them.

Delivering Across Six Key Value Areas

To support consistent high-quality management, the team works within dedicated systems, tools and procedures that deliver across six value areas:

• Safety
• Compliance
• Productivity
• Efficiency
• Information
• Team

This framework isn’t just theoretical. It’s practical – and it underpins three critical priorities for stakeholders: profitability, reputation and service quality. At its heart, it fosters something that’s central to Blackfinch’s strategy: trust. And we believe trust is the foundation of sustainable growth.

Examples of this in real life:

Safety
We undertake regular inspections across all sites to ensure they meet our high safety standards. Before any contractor begins work, we assess their competence thoroughly – and review this regularly. All new starters go through a robust induction process supported by a rigorously maintained Emergency Response Plan. Our safety lead, trained to National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) standards, is part of the internal team, ensuring that best practice is embedded in our operations. We also consult external safety experts and maintain active membership with leading industry bodies – all backed by a board-approved safety policy.

Compliance
We take a proactive approach to compliance, whether that’s tracking technical contract expiries to avoid renewal delays, or staying up to date with the latest from regulatory bodies like the Energy Networks Association, the Health and Safety Executive and Ofgem. Our routine calls with Operations and Maintenance partners ensure service delivery remains on point, while credit checks and insurance reviews on key counterparties provide confidence in performance. We also maintain regular contact with strategic lenders to ensure our loan covenants are always in check, and that lease and planning conditions are honoured.

Productivity
Our team continuously monitors each asset’s operational status and performance trends, enabling early detection and resolution of any underperformance. We also plan in detail for asset life extension to capture maximum yield potential. Regular analysis of the power market helps us identify optimal timing for price fixing, while we also leverage our relationships with offtakers and government schemes to access competitive rates. When downtime is unavoidable, we seek to mitigate losses through contractual liquidated damages and operational insurance claims where appropriate.

Efficiency
We take budgeting seriously. Routine costs are tracked carefully and any extraordinary spend is rigorously challenged. We’re also developing lifetime forecasting to account for long-term requirements, including decommissioning. Wherever possible, we consolidate service contracts – such as Meter Operator Providers, Data Collectors and Power Purchase Agreements – to strike the right balance between simplicity and risk diversification. Running our own PPA tenders helps us avoid unnecessary auction fees, and we actively pursue rebates where service standards fall short. Internally, we’ve developed intuitive policies, procedures and tools that support efficient collaboration and minimise delays.

Information
We capture monthly performance KPIs for each value stream, turning this data into meaningful insights using Power BI dashboards. Our centralised data systems allow us to consolidate half-hourly import and export data for all sites, and we maintain a detailed register of every fixed asset under our care. We’re currently building a trend monitoring platform using 10-minute SCADA data to enable proactive fault identification. All this is underpinned by a standardised document filing structure that spans the full asset lifecycle – and we provide regular feedback to third parties to drive improvements in report quality.

Team
The Portfolio Management team is split into technical and commercial roles, with clear accountabilities set out for every team member. We run weekly stand-ups, monthly one-to-ones and structured project reviews to maintain alignment and keep everyone focused. Our recruitment process is designed to ensure we appoint the right people into the right roles, supported by thorough job descriptions. Every team member has tailored objectives aligned to our values, and we provide regular mentoring and development opportunities to support their career progression.

Managing Value Across the Asset Lifecycle

The team is engaged across the full lifecycle of every asset – from acquisition through to decommissioning. By tracking and triaging a wide range of technical, commercial and financial key performance indicators, they make sure each site stays in line with expectations on both output and budget.

Tasks span everything from routine best practice and compliance administration to managing risk and delivering aspirational improvement projects. It’s all part of a proactive approach to identifying and unlocking further value – now and in the future.

Supporting You and Your Clients

The Blackfinch Adapt IHT Service is designed with advisers and their clients in mind. And behind it stands a team committed to rigorous, value-driven portfolio management.

To find out how your clients could benefit, or to explore the full range of support available from Blackfinch, speak with your regional Business Development Manager. Whether you’re looking for bespoke training, help with a specific client case, or insight into how we approach planning scenarios, they’re here to help.