ACCIONA has reached an agreement to acquire 80% of Vertical Earth, a Georgia-based infrastructure contractor. The transaction consolidates Atlanta as the strategic hub for ACCIONA’s Infrastructure division growth in the United States.

The deal is expected to close before the end of the year, subject to customary regulatory approvals. Brett Johnson, founder and CEO of Vertical Earth, will retain a 20% stake in the company and will carry on as its chief executive.

With extensive expertise across transportation, civil construction and structures, Vertical Earth, founded in 1997, posted revenues of US$217 million in 2025 (€191 million). The firm has a team of more than 600 professionals in Georgia and Florida.

Vertical Earth will provide ACCIONA with a significant boost to its self-performing execution capabilities in a strategic market for its Infrastructure division, along with local knowledge and access to the necessary suppliers and talent.

The U.S. alone accounts for 20% of the global infrastructure industry, with a contracting potential of US$303 billion this year and a strong focus on public-private partnerships (PPP). It also offers a significant pipeline in the Southeastern states, driven by ambitious Departments of Transportation investment plans.

Over the past two years, ACCIONA has multiplied its aggregate project portfolio in the country tenfold, to around €70 billion, with major projects such as the SR-400 highway in Georgia and the Calcasieu Bridge in Louisiana.

“Vertical Earth brings deep local knowledge, proven project experience, and strong technical capabilities that complement ACCIONA’s global infrastructure expertise,” said Carlos Planelles, managing director of ACCIONA’s Infrastructure Unit in North America. “The deal reflects our confidence in the U.S. market and strengthens our ability to deliver complex, high-profile projects.”

“This deal creates new growth opportunities for the Vertical Earth team while allowing us to continue serving our clients and partners with the same commitment, focus, and local expertise,” said Brett Johnson, CEO of Vertical Earth. “This is an exciting next step for Vertical Earth, our people and the communities where we work.”

A GROWTH MARKET

ACCIONA’s Infrastructure division is expanding its presence in the U.S. with major projects across the country.

Among other, it is currently leading the design, construction, financing, and 55-year operation of the SR400 highway in Atlanta (Georgia), with new express lanes that will improve mobility on one of the busiest routes in the region.

In Louisiana, it is part of the consortium carrying out the replacement of the Calcasieu River Bridge on Interstate I-10, one of the largest infrastructure investments in the state’s history, under a 50-year public-private partnership concession.

In North Dakota, as a member of the Red River Valley Alliance, ACCIONA is developing the Fargo-Moorhead flood diversion channel project, a public-private partnership.

In the water sector, the company recently completed the renovation of the Tampa Bay desalination plant and will design, build, and operate the Doheny desalienación plant (California). It also has three major water treatment projects in Puerto Rico, which will benefit 325,000 people.

ACCIONA Energía operates a total installed capacity of 3GW in the U.S., including 1.4GW of wind power, 1.3GW of solar power, a 64MW concentrated solar power plant, and one of the largest grid-scale battery energy storage systems in Texas.

ACCIONA Cultura has been selected to carry out projects at two iconic New York institutions: the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration and the Hip Hop Museum. It has also carried out projects at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati (Ohio) and the San Diego Museum of Art (California).