<div id="readability-page-1" class="page"><div> Follows a decade of resilience-focused grid modernization under the ownership of Macquarie Asset Management, BCI and Manulife Investment ManagementNEW YORK and BATON ROUGE, La. and PINEVILLE, La. and VICTORIA, BC, April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Stonepeak and Bernhard Capital Partners (&#34;Bernhard&#34;) today announced an agreement to acquire Cleco Group LLC (&#34;Cleco&#34; or the &#34;Company&#34;), from a consortium comprised of Macquarie Asset Management, British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (&#34;BCI&#34;) and Manulife Investment Management (&#34;the Consortium&#34;). Headquartered in Pineville, Louisiana, Cleco is a regulated electric utility with 1,200 dedicated employees serving approximately 298,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in 24 Louisiana parishes. Following the close of the transaction, Cleco will:<ul><li>Remain locally managed and operated with its headquarters in Pineville</li><li>Maintain its operating footprint and continue serving customers across Louisiana</li><li>Retain employees and maintain compensation and benefit levels</li><li>Continue to be regulated by the Louisiana Public Service Commission</li><li>Remain focused on sustaining state leading reliability levels</li></ul>This transaction will bring investors with deep access to capital, industry expertise and a local presence to support Cleco, a utility with more than 90 years in operation, in continuing to provide safe, reliable service to its customers. The strategic partnership and acquisition will also further Cleco's position as a critical energy service provider and economic development engine across its service territory and the state of Louisiana.&#34;Cleco provides safe, reliable and affordable electricity to our customers in support of their quality of life, and we take pride in the work of our dedicated, local employees who support the communities in which we all live,&#34; said Bill Fontenot, President &amp; Chief Executive Officer at Cleco. &#34;Cleco's employees are central to our success. In the last decade, we've become more safe, efficient and modern. With support from new partners Stonepeak and Bernhard, we can strengthen system reliability and encourage regional economic growth. This transaction marks an important day for our community, our customers and our company.&#34;&#34;We have a deep appreciation for the critical role Cleco plays in the communities it serves and look forward to partnering with Cleco and Bernhard to support management's key initiatives,&#34; said Rob Kupchak, Senior Managing Director at Stonepeak. &#34;We are excited to extend our track record of investing in Louisiana's energy infrastructure and believe Cleco is well positioned to be a driver of economic growth within its service territory, while providing dependable service to its customers.&#34;&#34;This investment advances Bernhard Capital Partners' focus on strengthening the nation's critical energy infrastructure, building more resilient communities and accelerating innovation across the energy sector,&#34; said Jeff Jenkins, Founder and Partner at Bernhard. &#34;It also reflects our continued investment in Louisiana—its people, its economy and its future. Our partnership combines Bernhard's operational expertise and deep local knowledge alongside Stonepeak's experience with similar mission-critical companies to build upon Cleco's century of service in our state. Together, we will drive meaningful economic growth while continuing Cleco's legacy of delivering essential energy service to communities across Louisiana.&#34;Over the last decade, Cleco has modernized its operations and safe work practices while strengthening system capacity, positioning the company to support future load growth and new customers. Under the Consortium's ownership, Cleco invested approximately $3 billion in support of projects like resiliency and to sustain its state-leading reliability. In November 2025, the Louisiana Public Service Commission unanimously approved the largest grid resiliency investment in Cleco's history, enabling further system hardening and expansion.&#34;Cleco's progress in recent years reflects its strong collaboration with Louisiana communities, regulators and political leaders to build a more reliable system that meets customers' evolving needs and supports economic growth across its service territory,&#34; said Aaron Rubin, Senior Managing Director and Head of Americas Energy Infrastructure at Macquarie Asset Management. &#34;It has been our privilege to have served as a steward of Cleco over the past 10 years as the company has navigated both challenges, such as maintaining high service standards during COVID-19 and the hurricanes of 2020 and 2021, and better times such as the growth phase the region has seen over the last few years.&#34;&#34;Together with Macquarie and our consortium partners, we've worked closely with Cleco's management team to strengthen and modernize its operations through long-term, targeted capital investments, reinforcing the company's readiness to meet growing power demand across the region,&#34; said Lincoln Webb, Executive Vice President and Global Head, Infrastructure &amp; Renewable Resources at BCI.The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals. Upon close, Stonepeak will hold the majority interest in Cleco.Greenhill, a Mizuho affiliate, served as financial advisor to Stonepeak, and Simpson Thacher &amp; Bartlett LLP served as legal counsel to Stonepeak and the buyer consortium. Centerpoint Partners LLC served as financial advisor and Latham &amp; Watkins LLP served as legal counsel to Bernhard. Goldman Sachs &amp; Co. LLC and Moelis &amp; Company LLC served as financial advisors to Cleco, Macquarie Asset Management, BCI and Manulife Investment Management, with Kirkland &amp; Ellis LLP and Phelps Dunbar LLP serving as legal counsel.About Cleco Cleco Group LLC conducts its business operations through Cleco Power LLC, a regulated electric utility company that owns eight generating units with a rated capacity of 2,676 MWs and serves approximately 298,000 customers in Louisiana through its retail business and supplies wholesale power in Louisiana. For more information about Cleco, visit www.cleco.com.About Stonepeak Stonepeak is a leading alternative investment firm specializing in infrastructure and real assets with approximately $88 billion of assets under management. Stonepeak, as sponsor of private equity and credit investment vehicles, provides capital, operational support and committed partnership to the companies it invests in, which include those in the transport and logistics, digital infrastructure, energy and real estate sectors. Stonepeak is headquartered in New York with offices in Houston, Washington, D.C., London, Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh. For more information, please visit www.stonepeak.com.About Bernhard Capital Partners Bernhard Capital Partners is a private markets investment firm focused on building market-leading infrastructure services and asset platforms across essential sectors. With more than $6 billion in assets under management, the firm invests in complex, expansive and often regulated markets characterized by durable demand. Bernhard applies a disciplined, thematic investment strategy, paired with deep sector expertise and operational experience, to enhance performance, scale platforms and support long-term growth. Bernhard's specialized approach is designed to perform across market cycles, delivering consistent outcomes for investors, partners and communities served across the portfolio. For more information, visit bernhardcapital.com.About Macquarie Asset Management Macquarie Asset Management is a leading global asset manager, trusted by institutions, individuals and communities to responsibly manage US$477 billion in assets. Macquarie Asset Management provides clients with a diverse range of investment solutions that seek to deliver superior risk-adjusted returns.Macquarie Asset Management is part of Macquarie Group, a diversified financial group providing clients with asset management, finance, banking, advisory, and risk and capital solutions across debt, equity and commodities. Founded in 1969, Macquarie Group employs over 19,000 people in 31 markets and is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.All figures as at 30 September 2025, excluding assets acquired by Nomura on 1 December 2025.About BCI British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI) is one of Canada's largest institutional investors, with C$295 billion in gross assets under management as of March 31, 2025. For 25 years, BCI has built its legacy on performance with purpose, helping its 32 public sector and institutional clients deliver on their commitments. From securing pensions to supporting communities, it's investing that matters. Headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia, and with teams spanning Vancouver, New York, London, and Mumbai, BCI puts patient capital to work across public and private markets globally. Learn more at BCI.ca or connect on LinkedIn. Important Notices (Macquarie Asset Management): None of the entities noted in this media release is an authorised deposit-taking institution for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Commonwealth of Australia) and the obligations of these entities do not represent deposits or other liabilities of Macquarie Bank Limited ABN 46 008 583 542 (Macquarie Bank). Macquarie Bank does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of these entities. In addition, if this media release relates to an investment (a) each investor is subject to investment risk including possible delays in repayment and loss of income and principal invested and (b) none of Macquarie Bank or any other Macquarie Group company guarantees any particular rate of return on or the performance of the investment, nor do they guarantee repayment of capital in respect of the investment. Media ContactsFor Cleco: Jennifer Cahill news@cleco.com +1 (318) 308-5175For Stonepeak: Kate Beers / Maya Brounstein corporatecomms@stonepeak.com +1 (646) 540-5225For Bernhard Capital Partners: Ed Trissel / Erik Carlson / Madeline Jones Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher +1 (212) 355-4449For Macquarie Asset Management: Lee Lubarsky leelubarsky@macquarie.com +1 (347) 302-3000For BCI: Olga Petrycki media@bci.ca <img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/img/favicon.png/query-c2Q9MjAyNi0wNC0yNyZzbj1OWTQzODIw?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="16" height="16" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/img/favicon.png/query-c2Q9MjAyNi0wNC0yNyZzbj1OWTQzODIw"/> View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stonepeak-and-bernhard-capital-partners-to-acquire-cleco-302754477.htmlSOURCE Bernhard Capital Partners Management, LP</div></div>

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Stonepeak and Bernhard Capital Partners have announced an agreement to acquire Cleco Group LLC from a consortium including Macquarie Asset Management, BCI, and Manulife Investment Management. Cleco, a regulated electric utility in Louisiana, serves approximately 298,000 customers. The acquisition aims to enhance Cleco's operational reliability and support economic growth in the region while maintaining local management and employee compensation. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals, with Stonepeak expected to hold a majority interest in Cleco upon completion.

Stonepeak and Bernhard Capital Partners to Acquire Cleco