UAE-based private equity firm Gulf Capital plans to deploy the remainder of its $533m GC Equity Fund II by early 2013.

“We have now deployed in excess of 50 per cent of the current fund and 2012 will be a very important year. We expect to have a significant number of transactions in our fund and are probably four to five deals away from finishing the fund,” says Richard Dallas, managing director of private equity at Gulf Capital.

The company will focus on the energy and healthcare sectors, specifically in countries in the GCC and its neighbours.

On 22 January, Gulf Capital said it had bought a 82.7 per cent in UAE-based temporary power generation provider Sakr Energy Solutions (SES).

“We will have an aggressive five-year programme for SES, to substantially build our fleet and expand the businesses across the Middle East, North Africa and southeast Asia regions as well as in Africa,” says Dallas. Gulf Capital will focus on medium- to long-term growth for SES to take advantage of the global deficit in power generation, which has increased from 50,000MW in 2004 to 150,000MW in 2010. The global deficit is expected to grow to 600,000MW by 2015.