31 August 2014: During the month of August, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other donors undertook activities and approved funding for sustainable energy projects in Albania, Azerbaijan, Burkina Faso, Kazakhstan, Laos, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Viet Nam.

In Burkina Faso, the AfDB-administered Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) has approved a US$950,000 project preparation grant to the Canadian firm WINDIGA to develop a 40 hectare, 20 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in the western part of the country. The grant, which marks one of the first times AfDB has funded a solar PV Independent Power Producer (IPP), will be used to provide financial advisory services for the project, including the structuring of a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Bukina Faso’s national utility, SONABEL. [AfDB Press Release]

In Nigeria, the European Commission has announced a €27 million financial aid package to develop renewable energy in the country as part of the Energising Access to Sustainable Energy (EASE) programme. The programme, complemented with an additional €4.6 from the World Bank and €9 million from the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), will promote renewable energy and energy efficiency in the country by improving the supply and efficiency of electricity to Nigerian households and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Other activities in the programme will address deforestation from fuelwood collection; natural gas flaring; and training professionals to work in the biomass, wind and solar sectors. [EC Press Release] [Government of Nigeria Press Release]

In Mali, SEFA has approved US$530,000 in co-funding to strengthen private sector investments in renewable energy by developing policy, legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks and building capacity among key audiences in cooperation with the country’s Ministry of Energy. The amount will contribute to a broader US$2.6 million project to promote renewable energy in Mali, financed by the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) Scaling-Up Renewable Energy Program (SREP). [AfDB Press Release]

In Rwanda, the Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO) will contribute €600,000 to help pilot WakaWaka’s Virtual Grid, a pay-as-you go system to overcome the high upfront costs of solar energy to off-grid residences. The US$2.1 million pilot will test the technology and service in 9000 households in three districts of the country. [FMO Press Release]

In South Africa, EIB has signed finance contracts for two concentrating solar power (CSP) projects in the Northern Cape. The Bank and the South African utility Eskom have agreed to a €75 million (R1.1 billion) loan to support the development of Abengoa Solar’s 100 MW Xina CSP plant, which is receiving additional support from the World Bank, AfDB, the French Development Agency, the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and KfW. The plant is scheduled to begin operations in October 2016. EIB has also signed a R1,4 billion finance contract with the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) to support the development of the !Ka Xu 100 MW concentrated solar power (CSP) in the Northern Cape, South Africa. [EIB Press Release 1] [EIB Press Release 2]

In Laos, ADB has signed a financing agreement for the 290 MW Nam Ngiep 1 Hydropower Project, which will deliver electricity to neighboring Thailand starting in 2019. The package includes a US$50 million direct loan and Bt3.04 billion baht-denominated loan, equivalent to roughly US$95 million. ADB will also act as the lender of record for a US$72 million B loan funded by the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and Mizuho Bank, Ltd. The project, which will be constructed by the Nam Ngiep 1 Power Company (NNP1PC), will receive additional support from four Thai banks and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. [ABD Press Release]

The Government of Laos signed an agreement with the World Bank to receive US$17.8 million in additional support for its hydropower and mining sectors, under the Technical Assistance for Capacity Building in the Hydropower and Mining Sectors Project. [World Bank Press Release]

ADB, along with ORIX Corporation and Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V., have formed Asia Climate Partners (ACP). The Hong Kong-based partnership will be capitalized with an initial US$400 million to invest in low-carbon projects in the region. [ADB-ORIX-Robeco Joint Press Release] [IISD RS Story on the Asia Climate Partners]

The Government of Viet Nam will receive a US$500 million loan from the World Bank to improve the capacity, efficiency and reliability of its electricity grid in the Greater Hanoi Area, Greater Ho Chi Minh City Area, Mekong Delta and other key economic regions. The Government will provide an additional US$231.25 million for the project, designed to, inter alia, finance 15% of the country’s transmission network growth from 2015 to 2020, and support Smart Grid technologies to improve reliability and reduce electricity outages. [World Bank Press Release]

In Albania, the World Bank has finalized negotiations with the Government for a US$150 million Power Reform and Recovery Project designed to improve the reliability of electricity supply by upgrading the transmission system and making other investments in critical infrastructure. The programme also aims to improve the management and financial viability of the sector, including through institutional restructuring and the implementation of a short- to medium-term plan. [World Bank Press Release]

In Azerbaijan, EBRD will loan US$5 million to Demirbank to support the purchase and installation of more energy efficient appliances, equipment and materials. The amount will be on-lent to businesses and homeowners as part of EBRD’s Caucasus Energy Efficiency Programme (CEEP), which is supported with grant funding of €9.2 million from the EU Neighbourhood Investment Facility (EU NIF) and Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance. [EBRD Press Release]

In Kazakhstan, Samruk-Green Energy has applied for a €54 million loan from EBRD to support the construction, commission and operation of a 50 MW wind farm. As one of the first of its kind in Kazakhstan, the project will be part of a 300 MW wind farm in the country’s northern region of Yereymentau. [REVE News Story via CIF]