Latest update on sustainable energy finance

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides the July update on global developments in sustainable energy finance.

 

July 2015 Sustainable Energy Finance Update

During the month of July, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank announced sustainable energy project funding and initiatives. The Asian Development Bank (ADB), AfDB, the European Commission, EIB and the World Bank also released publications on financing and deploying clean energy.

The announced sustainable energy initiatives are being implemented in Anguilla, Argentina, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Chile, Denmark, France, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Montenegro, Spain, Turkey, the UK, Ukraine, Uruguay, Zambia and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

In Argentina, IDB approved US$14.4 million in financing from the GEF for a housing project that integrates energy efficiency and renewable energy to improve the quality of life of residents and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Using renewable energy schemes adapted for each of Argentina’s eight bio-climactic zones, 128 prototypes will be built and monitored for a year. US$70.7 million in local funds and a US$1 million IDB technical cooperation grant will also support the project.

In Burkina Faso, AfDB granted €25.35 million from the African Development Fund (ADF) to support the programme for budget support in the energy sector (PASE). The funds will be largely directed to improving the electricity supply for basic social sectors, public services, the private sector and households. The funds are intended to increase reliability and energy access, as just 17.6% of the population currently has access to electricity.

In Cambodia, the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) launched a project promoting commercial biogas plants with US$1.5 million in funding from the GEF. The project aims to increase rural electrification and energy access by installing plants with 1.5 MW in cumulative generation capacity and mitigate climate change by avoiding 1.3 megatons carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) in emissions directly and 3.3 MtCO2e indirectly over 15 years.

In Chile, the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) signed an agreement with Banco Consorcio in support of non-conventional renewable energy projects. Under the agreement, IFC will provide a US$60 million credit line to finance, inter alia, small hydropower, biomass, solar, geothermal and wind.

In Denmark, EIB announced the first transaction in the country under the Investment Plan for Europe: up to €75 million in equity-like financing to Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) for the Copenhagen Infrastructure II fund. The fund is an “innovative” renewable energy infrastructure fund focusing primarily on newly established greenfield energy-related investments, such as large-scale offshore wind, biomass and transmission projects, in Western and Northern Europe.

In France, EIB undertook its first equity participation under the Investment Plan for Europe, providing €50 million for Capenergie 3, an investment fund dedicated to renewables and managed by Omnes Capital. It is anticipated that the investment will finance 500 MW of generating capacity.

In Georgia, EBRD facilitated the sale of over 400,000 carbon credits from the Enguri Hydro Power Plant to Statkraft, a Norwegian electricity company. EBRD’s Carbon Project and Asset Development Facility (CPADF) provided technical assistance for the sales strategy and emissions reductions verification. The project, registered under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), was able to partially recover costs associated with carbon project development through the sale of the credits.

In Guinea-Bissau, AfDB announced the approval of a €9 million loan and a €7.7 million grant for a three-year programme aimed at reducing daily power outages and increasing electricity access in the capital, Bissau. The funding will connect 10,500 new subscribers to electricity, rehabilitate facilities for 31,000 existing subscribers, improve the efficiency of the system’s infrastructure and improve management and governance of the National Electricity and Water Corporation.

In Kenya, the World Bank’s Climate Investment Funds (CIF) approved US$218,000 for the second tranche of the Electricity Modernization Project under the Scaling Up Renewable Energy in Low-Income Countries Program (SREP). The funds are for implementation and supervision services for the project, which is aimed at increasing electricity access and reliability in the country.

In Mali, IFC and Scatec Solar announced a partnership to develop the US$55 million Scatec Segou solar power project in cooperation with Africa Power 1. IFC is investing US$12.5 million in the 33-MW plant, in addition to taking on a 20% equity stake in the project company for US$2.5 million. The project will support Mali’s goals of increasing the share of electricity generated from renewables and enhancing energy supply and access.

In Montenegro, EBRD is providing a senior secured loan of up to €48.5 million to Krnovo Green Energy, a subsidiary of the French company, Akuo Energy, to develop the country’s first commercial wind farm. KfW Development Bank is providing an equivalent loan for the 72-MW plant through its subsidiary, KfW IPEX-Bank.

In Spain, EIB granted the Spanish company Abengoa a €125 million loan for research, development and innovation (RDI) activities related to, inter alia, advanced electrical systems and renewable energies. The company’s RDI programme is focused on clean/green energy and environmental technology breakthroughs that significantly benefit the environment.

In Turkey, EBRD announced US$180 million in financing for mid-sized renewable energy projects, including solar, hydropower, wind, geothermal, waste-to-energy and energy efficiency. The funds, sourced from the Turkey Mid-Size Sustainable Energy Financing Facility (MidSEFF), will be on-lent by Turkey’s Garanti Bank and Yapi Kredi Bank to private sector companies.

Also in Turkey, IFC approved a US$75 million long-term financing package for energy efficiency investments by the Turkish flat glass manufacturer, Trakya Cam. The company will use the funds for improving waste heat recovery and rehabilitating furnaces in plants located in both Turkey and Bulgaria. In addition to significantly reducing costs, the project is expected to cut GHG emissions by over 60,000 tons annually.

In the UK, the National Trust, a conservation charity, revealed plans to invest £30 million in renewable energy projects, including a 200-kilowatt (kW) lake source heating project, two biomass boilers and a 250-kW hydropower project.

In Ukraine, the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO) signed five grant agreements for five cities in the eastern part of the country to implement energy efficiency measures. The funding is sourced from the NEFCO-administered Nordic Energy Efficiency and Humanitarian Support Initiative (NIU), which focuses on refurbishing municipal buildings and social infrastructure, especially schools, day care centers and health centers, in vulnerable areas of eastern and southern Ukraine.

Also in Ukraine, medium and large municipalities will benefit from EIB loans totaling €400 million for 25-40 public infrastructure energy efficiency projects. The funds will be directed to central, regional or local government agencies, public utilities and municipalities by the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine. EIB’s financing will cover up to 50% of total costs, with supplementary financing coming from other international financial institutions (IFIs).

In Uruguay, US$55.7 million in loans from IDB will finance six solar PV plants, totaling 69.9 MW in generating capacity. The IDB-administered China Co-Financing Fund and the Canadian Climate Fund for the Private Sector are co-financing the project with additional loans of US$19.3 million and US$10 million, respectively. Producing an estimated 154.4 gigawatt-hours (GWh) per year, the plants will reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 74,000 tons annually.

In Zambia, IFC signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of Zambia to explore development of the country’s first utility scale PV projects as part of IFC’s Scaling Solar programme. The two 50-MW projects would help address a hydropower shortfall caused by low rainfall.

In the MENA region, IFC announced a US$25 million investment for renewable energy projects, especially wind and solar plants. The investment takes the form of equity in Alcazar Energy, which will develop and operate the projects in Africa, the Middle East and Turkey.

On publications, ADB released three volumes in a series on power planning as part of the ADB project ‘Ensuring Sustainability of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Regional Power Development.’ The series explains how strategic environmental assessment contributes to better policymaking in the power sector, how indicators are used to analyze power development plans, and how sustainability assessment and the consideration of wider impacts can affect decisions in power planning.

ADB also published a series of three reports on the potential of renewable energy and energy efficiency in the GMS. The publications are part of a study under the ADB project ‘Promoting Renewable Energy, Clean Fuels, and Energy Efficiency in the GMS.’

AfDB released the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) annual report, highlighting that it reached US$6.5 million in commitments in its project portfolio in 2014. The report also underscores achievements such as launching the Africa Renewable Energy Fund, distributing enabling environment grants to help attract private sector investment and co-sponsoring the Second West Africa Forum for Clean Energy Financing (WAFCEF-2) business plan competition.

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) issued its 2014 wind status report, finding that wind meets 8% of Europe’s electricity demand and predicting a 12% electricity share by 2020. With a focus on the EU, the report outlines the state of the economics, market and technology in the wind sector, with relevant comparisons to other regions.

EIB released an information brief on Africa’s energy challenges, describing EIB’s financial and technical support for the continent’s efforts to build accessible and efficient power generation from sustainable sources. According to the brief, almost 25% of EIB operations in Sub-Saharan Africa and more than 33% in North Africa are dedicated to the renewable energy sector.

EIB also released the annual report of the EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund, which highlights the significant renewable energy investments of the Fund, including €33 million for the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) initiative.

The World Bank, in partnership with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) and the SE4All Finance Committee, published recommendations for increasing the world’s investment in clean energy. The report suggests four thematic areas that could collectively mobilize US$120 billion.

The World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) conducted wind resource mapping in Tanzania and published the interim results.

The World Bank also released a study highlighting the positive energy access outcomes that can be achieved through energy efficiency measures. The report recommends factoring energy efficiency into development projects, based on an examination of eight recent World Bank projects.

On events, IDB hosted an event, titled ‘LAC2025: Water Energy Food and Mining Nexus,’ on 6 July 2015. The event considered how resource-related policy decisions today will affect future generations in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Topics ranged from the depletion of aquifers and water pollution to resource rights.

The World Bank sponsored an Indian delegation’s visit to Brazil to learn about the country’s experience in scaling up renewable energy to meet growing demand. As a result of the exchange, the two countries are working toward an MoU to cooperate on matters related to integrating variable renewable energy into the grid.