A warm welcome to all joining today's presentation of Aker Horizons' fourth quarter results. I'm Kristian Røkke, CEO of Aker Horizons. Joining me are Kristoffer Dahlberg, CFO of Aker Horizons, and Mary Quaney, CEO of Mainstream Renewable Power, who will present the company's main developments in the quarter. At the end, we'll open up for Q&A. Starting with a summary of the main developments in the quarter: Aker Carbon Capture is benefiting from high levels of commercial activity in the CCS market in both Europe and North America, and strong interest in the company's growing range of modular carbon capture facilities. This has translated into growth in paid FEEDs, pre-FEEDs, mobile test unit campaigns, and studies, which in total increased by around 20 million tons of CO2 capture per year in 2023.
A particular highlight was the FEED contract awarded by Hafslund Celsio to deliver Norway's first carbon capture project at a waste-to-energy facility. This project will be delivered based on Aker Carbon Capture's modularized Just Catch 400 unit, with a design capacity to capture up to 400,000 tons of CO2 per year. Besides new awards, Aker Carbon Capture's three major projects currently underway, which combined entail the delivery of seven carbon capture units, are progressing well. The company's order backlog doubled to NOK 2.6 billion year-over-year. Revenue growth continued with a 139% increase year-over-year. Mainstream Renewable Power achieved a critical milestone for the business with the conclusion of the reorganization proceedings in Chile.
In November, the project finance and mezzanine lenders voted to support the company's restructuring plans for the Huemul Energia and Condor Energia companies, which form part of the company's Andes Renovables wind and solar platform. The successful completion of this restructuring is a testament to the confidence of all stakeholders involved in the long-term sustainability of the Energia companies. Mainstream's cost-based reductions and project prioritization are on track, positioning the company for future growth. Focus is firmly on projects with the greatest near-term value potential in core markets, which Mary will go into more detail. In the hydrogen segment, Aker Horizons' flagship Narvik Green Ammonia project is advancing, with the joint pre-FEED study being conducted with Statkraft nearing completion. Ground and grid connection works have been concluded, which means the site is construction ready.
At our blueprint green hydrogen project in Rjukan, we signed a new MOU with a European industrial gas player, which encompasses both offtake and equity co-ownership. A few words about the overall market: 2023 was a challenging year for the global energy transition, in part caused by market volatility, macroeconomic headwinds, and geopolitical tensions. Aker Horizons' market segments were impacted by volatile commodity prices, supply chain pressures, high borrowing costs, and grid constraints, putting the clean energy industry under strain. However, 2023 still saw an acceleration in renewable energy installations worldwide, reflecting both the energy crisis and the growing international efforts to combat climate change. The amount of renewable energy capacity added to energy systems around the world grew by 50% in 2023, reaching almost 510 gigawatts, with solar PV accounting for three-quarters of additions worldwide.
Global investments in low-carbon energy technology climbed to a new high of $1.8 trillion, according to the IEA. Renewable energy, which includes wind, solar, and biofuels, remained the largest sector in investment terms, with $673 billion in new investments in 2023, representing a 10% year-on-year increase. Policy support for the energy transition also picked up pace. At the UN's COP28 Climate Summit, governments pledged to triple the world's renewable energy capacity by 2030. In Europe, the European Commission unveiled its Industrial Carbon Management Strategy earlier this month, which underlined the central role CCS will play for the EU to meet its climate goals. The strategy sets a target of 280 million tons CO2 captured annually by 2040, up from the 50 million tons target set for 2030. We're also seeing the positive regulatory momentum increasingly being backed by financing incentives and public funding made available.
Recent examples of this include the European Investment Bank approving a EUR 5 billion package to support the EU-based wind industry, catalyzing up to EUR 80 billion of investments to manufacture and install the needed components for wind farms. These investments are expected to enable around 32 GW of new wind power capacity. On the hydrogen side, the European Commission is seeking to maximize the budget for the EU Innovation Fund until 2028, which would include funding the EU Hydrogen Bank. These are all highly favorable developments for Aker Horizons' portfolio. Over to Aker Carbon Capture, which had a busy fourth quarter. The company in December signed the FEED contract with Hafslund Celsio to develop carbon capture at the waste-to-energy facility at Klemetsrud in Oslo.
In the same month, Uniper awarded Aker Carbon Capture a process design package to deliver design studies for a proposed post-combustion carbon capture plant in their Grain power station in the UK, with the potential to capture over 2 million tons of CO2 per year. Earlier in the quarter, Aker Carbon Capture was also awarded a pre-FEED contract by a major European power company to implement carbon capture at a portfolio of power plants in mainland Europe. The planned capture capacity could reach up to 14 million tons CO2 per year for the applicable sites combined. After quarter-end, Aker Carbon Capture signed an MOU with MAN Energy Solutions to accelerate CCUS in the United States, strengthening the company's presence in this highly promising market. Operationally, the company made good progress on its major projects. At Twence, commissioning is ongoing.
At Brevik, the preparation for the second heavy lift campaign is ongoing. For Øysted's Kalundborg hub, the ground-breaking ceremony has taken place. Aker Carbon Capture and Aker Solutions signed a FEED contract with Hafslund Celsio to develop carbon capture at this waste-to-energy facility at Klemetsrud in Oslo, Norway. The planned FEED delivery will be mid-year, with Hafslund Celsio targeting an FID in the same time frame. As part of the project's cost reduction phase, new vendors were brought in to present alternative solutions that could lower cost, and Aker Carbon Capture and Aker Solutions were selected to perform a FEED. The FEED includes a framework for a possible EPCIC contract. The waste incineration plant at Klemetsrud is the largest carbon emitter in Oslo and is responsible for approximately 17% of the capital fossil carbon emissions.
Funding has been secured as part of the Longship full CCS value chain development, the Norwegian government's carbon capture and storage project. Longship also includes the CO2 captured at Heidelberg Materials cement plant in Brevik, where the carbon capture plant is delivered by Aker Carbon Capture and Aker Solutions. Moving over to the United States, where Aker Carbon Capture is now working with MAN Energy Solutions to accelerate CCUS. Aker Carbon Capture is already collaborating with MAN on the CCS project at the Brevik cement plant in Norway. An MOU was signed to jointly pursue opportunities related to CCUS and CO2 compression in the North American market. This leverages MAN's expertise in compressor technology and system integration, as well as Aker Carbon Capture's proven capture technology and products. The adoption of standardized and modularized solutions will help cost efficiency and optimize energy consumption and delivery time.
As an example, a compressor design jointly developed by MAN and ACC can reduce overall steam demand for a Big Catch facility by nearly 30%. R&D is important to further develop Aker Carbon Capture's technology. In late January, Elkem, a global leader in silicon-based advanced materials, announced the results from its first pilot for CCS at its plant in Thamshavn, Norway. The results show that Aker Carbon Capture had successfully qualified as technology for the smelter industry, with high capture rates of CO2 recorded up to 95%. The project used Aker Carbon Capture's mobile test unit, which was built in 2008 and has continuously been upgraded with the company's latest technology developments. Aker Carbon Capture can therefore offer its customers a unique opportunity to test technology at their site and de-risk the project prior to full-scale implementation. Flue gas from silicon smelters has fluctuating and low CO2 concentration.
The success in capturing the CO2 in the pilot provides critical learning for future developments. Aker Carbon Capture's technology has now been tested on 11 industrial flue gases, accumulating more than 60,000 hours of operational expertise. Apart from the contract awards by Celsio and Uniper, Aker Carbon Capture strengthened its presence across Europe in the fourth quarter, with studies in Germany, Finland, and the Swiss market for waste energy, biomass, and power plants, all based on Just Catch, with a capacity between 100,000 and 400,000 tons of CO2 per year. With that, I'll hand it over to Mary to present the developments in Mainstream Renewable Power.
Thank you, kristian. Moving on to our key highlights, 2023 was certainly a challenging year for the renewable energy industry globally, driven by rising interest rates and supply chain disruptions resulting in unprecedented CapEx increases in the order of up to 40%-50%, as well as project delays right across the sector. Throughout the year, we have been taking clear actions to address these challenges, and we continue to believe that the long-term fundamentals for renewables remain attractive. This is evidenced by our successful reorganization of the Condor and Homo portfolios in Chile, which concluded in November, providing both portfolios with a stable and sound financial foundation for the recovery of the Andes Renovables platform. We currently have 1 gigawatt of fully operational wind and solar assets delivering power to the Chilean grid, about a third of which reached commercial operation in Q1 of last year.
Reaching over 1 gigawatt of operational capacity is a significant milestone for the Andes Renovables platform. And while market distortions continue to pose challenges for those operating in the market, encouragingly, the impact of our mitigation strategy has started to take effect, delivering a positive commercial margin in Q3 and in Q4. Our new financing facility of up to $220 million, which is supported by our shareholders, is another sign of their confidence in the long-term fundamentals. This new facility will serve various purposes, including to fulfill Mainstream's obligations connected to the restructuring in Chile. Our organizational review is on track, with a clear focus on significant cost reduction, as well as the prioritization of projects which have the greatest near-term value creation potential.
In South Africa, we reached financial close on a 97.5 MW solar PV project in November, which has a corporate PPA with Sasol and Air Liquide, and where construction has already started. In the Philippines, we were awarded two onshore wind certificates, which give us the exclusive rights to develop two wind farm sites with a total combined capacity of 440 MW, for both of which we have already commenced early-stage development activities. Moving on then to the next slide, in November, we achieved a critical milestone for the business with the successful conclusion of the reorganization plan in Chile. This process was a key focus for the business in 2023 and, without doubt, has been the most challenging and complex process we have faced in Mainstream.
The conclusion of this restructuring is testament not only to the commitment and dedication of our team, but also to the confidence of our senior and mezzanine lenders, as well as our shareholders, in the long-term sustainability of the Chilean portfolios. Now that the restructuring is complete, this stabilizes and provides a sound financial foundation for the platform during this period of uncertainty and until such time as the anticipated reform of the regulated market comes into effect. This slide sets out the terms of the restructuring. I do not propose going through each bullet individually, but rather I will highlight some of the key terms of the Condor and Homo restructuring. We successfully restructured EUR 900 million of senior debt with renegotiated terms, including meaningful deferrals on interest and principal payments, providing the portfolios with relief during this period of market volatility.
Mainstream is committing EUR 131 million in new capital on a senior basis to the mezzanine debt. This includes CapEx to complete construction on the Kori wind farm, which is the final project in the Homo portfolio. EUR 136 million from interest rate swap termination proceeds were used in part to repay project finance debt, with the balance remaining as liquidity in the Condor and Homo portfolios, which is an important contribution from the senior lenders' collateral to support the portfolios. At the mezzanine lender level, the mezzanine debt for Condor and Homo was reduced from EUR 243 million to EUR 91 million, with the mezzanine lender Ares taking a 10% shareholding in the Andes Renovables platform.
Separately, in Q4, an impairment was recognized on Copihue, which is the final project in the Andes Renovables platform, to reflect the continued uncertainty, with construction remaining paused at that project following an arson attack last year.
I cannot overstate the importance of this restructuring for Mainstream. The Andes Renovables platform consists of over a gigawatt of operating assets, both wind and solar. The conclusion of this process draws a line under the challenges faced and puts Condor and Homo on a stable financial footing for the future. Moving on to the next slide, on the operational side, the commercial margin for the Andes portfolio improved further in Q4, despite an increase in curtailments, as improved hydrology performance and lower international fuel prices delivered a better market backdrop on top of an improvement in operations. Additionally, our mitigation strategy, which includes the termination of our Kori PPA and the temporary withdrawal of our Caman project from the market, both of which took place during the year, has continued to help to reduce Mainstream's exposure.
The high system costs we saw in late 2022 and early 2023, which were driven by fuel costs, have now lowered as hydrology has improved combined with a normalization of international fuel prices. However, these system costs do remain elevated, driven by the rapid growth in PMGD, which are smaller-scale installations, mainly solar, that have a stable power price and are not subject to curtailment. Our 86-megawatt Alena wind farm, located in the Biobío region of Chile, continues to return its operating turbines to service this week, following an incident where a nacelle became attached from the tower of a wind turbine. Of the 18 turbines at Alena, 17 are expected to have fully returned to service over the coming two weeks.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident, and we are currently working closely with Nordex, who provides the operations and maintenance services for the fleet to determine the root cause. Nordex has also completed safety checks, and identified issues have been addressed. For the turbine in question, a plan is in place with Nordex for it to be replaced over the coming months. In 2024, we expect to shortly resume construction at our Kori wind farm in northern Chile, following ongoing and constructive engagement with Chile's National Monuments Commission, the CMN, with COD on that project on track for next year, while for Coprie, construction activity remains paused following an arson attack at the project site in June of last year.
I met with Chile's energy minister, Minister Pardow, in Santiago again two weeks ago for an update on his proposed energy transition bill, which is expected to provide necessary reforms required to help to stabilize the market distortions currently being experienced. The bill is in process of review by the Senate, to be reviewed afterwards by the lower chamber, and we expect progress on approval to the bill later this year. Moving on then to the organizational review update. During our Q3 results presentation, I explained how we had initiated an organizational review across the group to focus on the streamlining of operations, reducing our cost base, and optimizing our portfolio. Today, I would like to share an update on the implemented cost reduction steps with the following slide focused on the prioritized projects.
In terms of our cost base, we are firmly on track to deliver our reduction target of over 30%, which in turn will result in an annual saving of more than EUR 45 million, as well as a leaner organization more focused on our core development strengths. These cost reductions are driven by a number of factors, primarily a 35% reduction in our headcount between the end of 2022 and the year-end 2023. In tandem with this, we have streamlined our operations to have a more centralized approach with an improvement in processes through automated efficiency and enhanced project controls. On the next slide, you will see the project prioritization is central to this new approach. We are prioritizing 10 GW of projects across our pre-development and development pipeline out of our total pipeline. These prioritized projects have been selected based on two overarching principles.
Firstly, those projects which have the greatest near-term value creation potential, and secondly, those which have the strongest opportunity to deliver more consistent capital recycling. By leveraging our core development competencies, we will capitalize on this expertise to advance these approximately 10 GW of prioritized projects. They range from early-stage development, so that is those that have achieved land signing, up to later-stage projects that have moved into permit application and/or into the pre-construction phase. Together, we believe this more globally aligned list of prioritized projects and integrated strategy will strengthen our position while enabling stronger partnering opportunities in our core markets. Moving on to the next slide, to South Africa. Mainstream has taken a leading position in the renewable energy sector in South Africa since we entered the market back in 2009.
During this time, we have successfully taken just under 1 gigawatt of wind and solar capacity to financial close, 850 megawatts of which we have taken through construction and into commercial operations. In quarter one last year, we, together with our partners, sold the 1 gigawatt Lekela platform to the Infinity Group and Africa Finance Corporation. In November, we reached financial close on a 97-megawatt solar farm, which has a corporate PPA with Sasol and Air Liquide. This was one of the first large-scale private PPAs in the market, and we see further strong opportunities for corporate PPA growth. Construction activity has already started, with the project targeted to be fully operational in 2025.
Given the challenges in round 5, we are now progressing projects outside of the REAP program, and as such, we are in active discussions with a number of potential private off-takers with our well-advanced development pipeline of over 10 GW. The Sasol and Air Liquide transaction paves the way for future products to private customers through renewable energy supply agreements, which are shorter-term and more flexible, and we're in active discussions with a number of potential private off-takers. Now then on to the next slide to key portfolio updates for onshore and for offshore. In the Philippines, as I mentioned earlier, we have been awarded onshore wind certificates for two sites with a total combined capacity of 440 MW, and we have already commenced early development activities at these sites.
We're one of the first 100% foreign-owned companies to secure these certificates since the introduction of new legislation allowing us to do so, and we expect to secure additional certificates this year, growing our pipeline in a market that is attractive for us and a key focus point. In Australia, we are pursuing both an onshore and offshore strategy, given the country's wealth of renewable energy resources, combined with a supportive government in the transformation towards renewables. In this attractive market backdrop, our focus on securing an attractive onshore wind pipeline is progressing well, with 1.5 GW of projects moving to lease stage and first milestones on this expected during the year. On offshore and starting in the Nordics, we are awaiting the outcome for pre-qualification for Stirling Initiative 2 and also awaiting an update on the application timeline for Utsira Nord.
While in Sweden, two of our projects are now proceeding to review by the county administration, which is a key milestone in the permitting process. In South Korea, KF Wind has submitted its final environmental impact assessment report and expects final approval later in the year. Then to conclude, in the short to medium term, as I've outlined, Mainstream will focus on our portfolio of priority projects focused on those offering the greatest near-term value creation potential, as well as the strongest opportunity to deliver more consistent capital recycling.
Looking forward, we believe that with the combination of our organizational review, with a reduction in our cost base, with the successful conclusion of the restructuring in Chile, as well as the continued support of our shareholders, Mainstream will continue to successfully navigate the current challenges being experienced across the sector and, in doing so, position itself for growth in the medium term. And with that, I hand you to Kristoffer.
Thank you, Mary. Aker Horizons Asset Development has made good progress on the project portfolio during the quarter, and here are some of the highlights. For Narvik Green Ammonia, which we are developing together with Statkraft, it's been a very busy quarter. The pre-FEED study is nearing completion, and we are targeting Decision Gate 2 during the second half of this year, which will be the milestone kicking off the FEED phase of the project.
Initial civil and electrical connection works at the Kvandal industrial site are completed. Hence, the site is construction-ready for Narvik Green Ammonia and other green industries. The Rjukan project is also progressing, and we have now signed a new MOU with a large industrial gas player for offtake and equity in the project. The main priority for asset development going forward is to focus on the Norwegian projects in the portfolio, which is where we see the most value creation opportunities in the short run. This includes Rjukan and Narvik, in addition to Aukra and Berlevåg, where the two latter are further out in time. On the regulatory side, the European Commission has confirmed EUR 2.2 billion for a second round of auctions under the EU Hydrogen Bank, which is planned to be launched during the spring of this year.
The scheme can be a very important factor to strengthen the Narvik Green Ammonia business case. Moving to Narvik, our large-scale green ammonia project in northern Norway. Together with Statkraft, we are, as mentioned, working to mature the project to DG2 in the second half of this year. At the Kvandal site, the civil and electrical works have now been completed for a 230 MW grid connection and is planned to be connected to the grid during this spring. 25 hectares are zoned for power-intensive industry, whereof 16 hectares are levelled and construction-ready. The infrastructure on the land is established with internal roads, fiber access, water, etc. The site is suitable for both our large-scale ammonia plant and other power-intensive industries, and we are currently in dialogues with parties for other industrial initiatives at the site.
We are experiencing good interest in our sites in the Narvik area from power-intensive industry and will continue to work on establishing this as an attractive business for Aker Horizons. A key part of the puzzle for our projects and the industry as a whole is offtake of hydrogen and derivatives. We see significant interest for the Narvik Green Ammonia project and are actively engaging with many large industrial off-takers that are looking to secure green ammonia supply to continental Europe. Last year, we signed significant ammonia volumes under LOIs, and since then, we have seen strong additional interest from a range of European players who are looking to secure long-term ammonia offtake from the project. We are currently working towards signing term sheets with key offtake partners prior to moving into the next phase of the project.
Another key activity in planning for the next phase is preparing ITTs, or invitation to tender, for the FEED study, which is planned to commence during the second half of this year. The current schedule is planning for a final investment decision during 2025. At Rjukan, as previously communicated, we are working to secure both offtake and an equity partner into the project. During the quarter, we have advanced on this work by signing a new MOU with a leading industrial gas player. We will revert to the market with more information in due course, but our target to start the FEED phase during the first half of this year remains. Then moving to the financials. Our net asset value consists mainly of our 43.3% ownership in Aker Carbon Capture, 58.4% in Mainstream, 100% in Aker Horizons Asset Development, cash of EUR 3.3 billion, and liabilities of close to EUR 6.4 billion.
In the quarter, net asset values increased from EUR 10.2 billion to EUR 10.8 billion at the end of last year. This increase was driven primarily by an increase in the share price of Aker Carbon Capture during the quarter, somewhat countered by operating costs and interest expenses in Aker Horizons. The next slide shows Aker Horizons Parent and Holding Company's key financials for the fourth quarter. The EBITDA was negative EUR 24 million in Q4, reflecting general overhead and projects in Aker Horizons. The net profit was positive EUR 518 million, reflecting also the share price development of Aker Carbon Capture and net financial items, mainly interest, income, and cost. Cash flow from operating activities consists of running costs and interest received and paid, and amounted to negative EUR 50 million in the quarter. Investing cash flow consists of investments in our green projects Narvik and in asset development.
The net cash flow for the quarter was negative EUR 159 million, and the cash balance was reduced from EUR 3.5 billion to EUR 3.3 billion. Our external financing and commitments are shown here, including the maturities. The EUR 500 million RCF remains undrawn and available to us until May 25. We also have an option for a further one-year extension of this facility. As previously communicated, we have also included the share of MRP's $220 million corporate facility, which is pro-rata backed by Aker Horizons.
This brings us to available liquidity. The RCF of EUR 500 million was undrawn at quarter end, as mentioned, and with a cash position of EUR 3.3 billion and the RCF undrawn, that sums up to a total available liquidity of EUR 8.9 billion. This is down from Q3 at EUR 9.1 billion as the cash position is reduced by EUR 157 million in the quarter.
The net interest-bearing debt position was up from EUR 2.8 billion at Q3 to EUR 3 billion in Q4, reflecting operating costs, interest paid and accrued, and investments in our green projects. So summing up, Aker Horizons has gross asset values of EUR 17.1 billion, net interest-bearing debt of EUR 3 billion, and available liquidity of EUR 8.9 billion. The loan-to-value RCF covenant is defined as net senior debt over the gross asset value and stood at -6% in Q4, giving significant headroom to our covenant of 50%. That brings us to the end of our presentation, and we now open up for Q&A.
Thank you, Kristoffer We now open for questions from our participants. My name is Marianne Stigset. I'm head of communications at Aker Horizons, and I'll be guiding you through the last component of this Q4 presentation. As a reminder, you can submit your questions by email to ir@akerhorizons.com. Our first question is from Midowell Hartvigsen from Clarksons. It's two questions. Firstly, you report a EUR 13.2 billion value for Mainstream on a 100% basis, equivalent to EUR 1.2 billion. Meanwhile, the reported equity in Mainstream stands at EUR 670 million. Can you elaborate on the deviation between the two figures? Kristoffer, I suggest you take this first question.
Yeah, thanks. So the NAV is based on a bottom-up valuation performed at year-end as basis for the value of our shareholding in MRP. This valuation is based on estimated future cash flows using standard methodology and assumptions. The equity number of EUR 670 million reflects Mainstream's own accounts and book values of assets and liabilities.
Thank you. The second question pertains to the Chile portfolio. Can you elaborate on the terms for interest rates on project finance debt on Huemel and Condor? I'll direct this question to Paul Corrigan, Mainstream's Group Chief Financial Officer. Paul?
Good morning, everybody. Happy to take this question. So the key terms on the project finance debt for Huemel and Condor have effectively been unchanged through the restructuring. The interest rate is combined with a margin on top of an underlying rate, in this instance being SOFR. And these are unchanged from the competitive terms we entered into back in financial close in 2019 for Condor, 2020 for Huemel. What has changed, as we've outlined in this presentation, has been the timing of repayment, with interest moving to payment in kind, or PIK, until 2026.
Then material changes in the nature of principal repayments, with the deferral until 2027 for Condor and 2029 for Huemel, all of which creates a meaningful cash buffer in the projects and provides the portfolios with some relief during this period of market volatility, but no changes to the underlying interest rates from those competitive terms we entered into back in 2019, 2020.
Good. Thank you, Paul. It seems no further questions have been submitted at this point. With that, I thank you all for listening, and we look forward to welcoming you back