6 January 2015
December 2014 Sustainable Energy Finance Update
story highlights

During the month of December, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), African Development Bank (AfDB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Investment Bank (EIB), Global Environment Facility (GEF), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), World Bank and other donors undertook activities and approved finance for sustainable energy projects in, among other countries, Bhutan, Chile, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, Poland, Suriname, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Uruguay, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

AfDB-ADB-EBRD-EIB-IDB-GEF-WB-CIFDecember 2014: During the month of December, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), African Development Bank (AfDB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Investment Bank (EIB), Global Environment Facility (GEF), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), World Bank and other donors undertook activities and approved finance for sustainable energy projects in, among other countries, Bhutan, Chile, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, Poland, Suriname, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Uruguay, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In Bhutan, ADB will provide US$120.5 million in loans and grants for the construction of a 118 MW hydropower plant through a public-private partnership. A consortium of Indian commercial banks will provide an additional US$58.82 million in co-financing for the run-of-the-river plant, which is due to begin operations in mid-2019. The builder and operator of the plant, Tangsibji Hydro Energy Ltd, will export electricity to India under a 25-year power purchase agreement signed with Power Trading Corporation of India. [ADB Press Release]

In Chile, IDB has approved two loans to substitute renewable energy for fossil fuels in mining. One project consists of a US$27.7 million loan for the 44 MW Arica 1 Solar Photovoltaic Power Project, which will also receive up to an additional US$22.4 million from the CIF Clean Technology Fund and US$13.9 million China Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean (China Fund). The second loan, totaling US$25.5 million, is for the 54 MW Los Loros Photovoltaic Power Project, which will receive an additional US$26 million in co-financing from the Canadian Climate Fund for the Private Sector in the Americas (C2F) and China Fund. [IDB Press Release]

In the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR) of China, ADB has approved a US$150 million loan for a low-carbon and low-emissions heating system powered by wind and natural gas. The first-of-the-kind system will reduce coal use and air pollution in IMAR’s capital, Hohhot, while pioneering a new business model for sharing renewable energy subsidies for wind-powered district heating systems. Additional financing for the US$403 million project, to be completed in 2020, will come from the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank and Hohhot City Development, Investment, and Operation Company. [ADB Press Release]

In Egypt, EBRD is introducing the US$30 million Energy Efficiency Facility in partnership with the country’s national bank. The pilot programme aims to strengthen Egypt’s energy security by facilitating energy efficiency in the corporate sector and promoting the use of renewable energy. [EBRD Press Release]

In Ethiopia, the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) approved a US$842,000 grant to an Ethiopian technology company, dVENTUS Technologies, to help establish a local smart meter manufacturing facility and create jobs for highly-skilled Ethiopian engineers. The grant seeks to mitigate technical development risks and catalyze financing for the transition and expansion plan for the venture, while demonstrating the viability of indigenous high-tech suppliers for clean energy in Africa. [AfDB Press Release]

In Gaza, the World Bank will provide a US$15 million grant to finance 35 percent of the reconstruction of the power distribution network needed to return electricity to the ten percent of residents who remain without it following the July-August conflict with Israeli military forces. [World Bank Press Release]

In Guatemala, IDB has approved a US$55 million loan for the improvement and expansion of the national electricity service, with a focus on raising the productivity, income and quality of life for lower-income populations. The loan will be used to finance incentives and government contributions for rural electrification and improve management in the sector as part of the Multiphase Rural Electrification Program, which aims to raise the electrification rate to 92.8 percent by 2019. [IDB Press Release]

In Haiti, IDB has agreed to provide a US$23.7 million loan to refurbish the transmission line from the Péligre hydroelectric plant (PHP), which delivers 100 percent of the electricity consumed by the 3 million people living in the the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. [IDB Press Release]

In Honduras, CIF has approved a request from IDB for US$5.5 million in funding from the Scaling Up Renewable Energy in Low Income Countries Program (SREP) for the Honduran Self Supply Renewable Energy Guarantee Program. [CIF Approval Notification]

In Kyrgyzstan, EBRD has agreed to provide a US$2 million loan to increase financing for energy efficiency projects. EBRD’s partner institution, the Kyrgz Investment and Credit Bank, will receive the amount, which is to be on-lent to business and households to buy energy efficient equipment, install insulation and make other energy efficiency investments. [EBRD Press Release]

In Morocco, EBRD has agreed to provide US$60 million to the National Office of Electricity and Water (ONEE) to support the final stages of an initiative to connect 1200 villages to the grid. The investment will also support the liberalization and commercialization of the country’s power sector, as well as rural economic development, including through education enrollment and the improvement of safety, medical and hygiene services. [EBRD Press Release]

In Nepal, the World Bank has approved a US$130 million credit to the Nepal Grid Solar and Energy Efficiency Project, which seeks to reduce distribution losses and increase the supply of energy from photovoltaics (PV) in the national grid. The funds will be used to support the design, supply, construction, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of grid-connected PV, and to prepare and implement a Distribution Loss Reduction Master Plan in selected centers in the national grid. [World Bank Press Release]

In Nigeria, SEFA has approved a US$580,000 preparation grant for the expansion of Green Energy & Biofuels (GEB) Bio-refinery project. The amount will finance technical studies, business advisory services, and a full environmental and social impact assessment of the expansion of the project, which aims to increase biogel production capacity from 1000 to 30,000 liters per day while quadrupling the cookstove manufacturing supply chain over the next three years. [AfDB Press Release]

In Poland, EBRD has approved two separate wind power investments in the northern part of the country. One investment consists of a €23.75 million equivalent financial package to co-finance the construction and operation of a 13 turbine, 39 MW wind farm in Kujawsko-Pomorskie province. The other investment entails €62 million equivalent in co-financing to build and operate 74 MW in wind power capacity, as part of the third and final phase of the 250 MW Darłowo Wind Farm Energy Centre. [EBRD Press Release 1] [EBRD Press Release 2]

In Suriname, IDB has approved a loan of US$33 million to Suriname’s public power utility, Energie Bedrijven Suriname (EBS), to reduce supply shortages and meet rising demand. The funds will be used to improve the use of information technology and upgrade and retrofit critical infrastructure in the National Power System. [IDB Press Release]

In Swaziland, AfDB will issue a US$990,000 grant for technical assistance to promote investment in the electricity sector with the aim of increasing energy access and energy supply. The grant will finance three studies for an energy support programme in the country involving: the production of a hydropower feasibility study; review and analysis of solar and wind resource data and capacity building to promote the development of wind and solar energy resources; and updates to the Energy Policy and the National Energy Policy Implementation Strategy. [AfDB Press Release]

In Tajikistan, ADB has approved a US$54 million grant to reduce electricity losses by installing 1,100 wholesale electricity meters, current and voltage transformers and a settlement system, while expanding transmission capacity in Panjakent district in the northern part of the country. The Government of Tajikistan and national power company Barki Tojik will provide US$13 million in additional funding for the project, scheduled for completion in 2020. [ADB Press Release]

In Trinidad and Tobago, CDB has issued a US$40 million loan to assist in the reinforcement of policy changes in the energy sector in the context of the country’s 2011 sustainable energy programme. The Government will receive special low-interest loan to support transport sector’s transition from diesel and gasoline to compressed natural gas (CNG) and to take other measures to advance the programme, which aims to, inter alia, enhance: regulatory and legal framework to achieve efficiency, transparency and accountability; promote environmental sustainability of alternative energy fuels; and spur the efficient and rational production of fossil fuels. [CDB Press Release]

In Ukraine, the World Bank approved a loan of US$378.425 million to upgrade the country’s transmission system, including through the development of plans for integrating renewable power and the installation of modern communications and smart grid systems. The loan, which aims to support the Second Power Transmission Project, will also facilitate the implementation of the Wholesale Electricity Market and other reforms aiming to improve the management and operation of the network. CIF’s Clean Technology Fund is also providing a US$48.425 million loan for the project. [World Bank Press Release]

In Uruguay, IDB has approved a US$125 million loan to the Financial Program for Productive Investment to support investments in productivity and infrastructure. The amount will focus on investments in electricity generation from wind and solar, as well as agricultural investments in irrigation and citrus production. The loan represents the first individual operation of a new US$250 million line of credit the Bank has approved for investment projects in the country. [IDB Press Release]

In Zambia and Zimbabwe, the EU, World Bank, and AfDB have agreed to co-finance the US$300 million Kariba Dam Rehabilitation Project. The Government of Zambia will receive US$39 million from AfDB’s concessionary African Development Fund (ADF), and the Government of Zimbabwe will receive US$12 million from the Bank’s Transition Support Facility (TSF) and another US$36 million grant from ADF’s Regional Operations (RO) envelope. The World Bank and Government of Sweden have agreed to provide an additional US$75 million credit and US$25 million, respectively. The funds assist the Zambezi River Authority to rehabilitate the dam’s spillway and take other measure to improve the infrastructure in order to avoid dam failure and the catastrophic loss of lives, livelihoods, and billions of dollars in capital assets and power generation. [AfDB Press Release] [World Bank Press Release]

With regard to publications, the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) has released a new series of guidance notes on how cities can harness energy efficiency to achieve energy security, energy savings, and reduce costs and emissions. The notes offer practical advise and examples to mayors and municipal policy makers on how to integrate energy efficiency in six areas: procurement, financing, buildings, transport, assessments and urban planning. [World Bank Press Release] [ESMAP Publication Website]

With regard to meetings, the World Bank, in cooperation with ESMAP and CIF, has held the second roundtable of its Global Geothermal Development Plan (GDDP). The event, held in Copenhagen, Denmark, brought together public and private participants from over 30 countries and highlighted the US$235 million the Plan has mobilized towards scaling up geothermal energy. [World Bank Press Release] [IISD RS Story on GDDP]

In regard to funding and other initiatives, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) has held the first meeting of the Advisory Council for its one million dollar grant project, ‘Powering the Future We Want – Recognizing Innovative Practices in Energy for Sustainable Development.’ The annual award seeks to replicate and scale up best practices and lessons learned by helping grant recipients apply their insights and build capacity for sustainable energy in developing countries. [DESA News Story] [Powering the Future We Want Website]

ADB has created a service to match buyers and sellers of low-carbon technologies in Asia. The pilot service, called IPEx Cleantech Asia, will broker the transfer of clean energy and energy efficiency technologies from developed countries to developing Asian countries, and between developing Asian countries, with initial transactions expected to be between US$2-5 million each. The Global Environment Facility (GEF), Government of Japan, and Belgium-based VITO-Flemish Institute of Technological Research will co-fund the mechanism, which will be jointly-run by the global advisory firm DNV GL and clean energy investment banking and consulting firm ReEx Capital Asia. [ADB Press Release]

The CIF has received approximately US$765 million in funding for its four programmes, bringing total CIF contributions to approximately US$8.3 billion. The additional financing will enable the CIF to expand into more countries and bridge a financing gap faced by some of its programmes. [IISD RS Story]

EIB and the European Commission (EC) have agreed on a new lending product called the Private Finance for Energy Efficiency Instrument (PF4EE Instrument), which aims to improve commercial access to energy efficiency investments targeted by EU member States as part of their Nation Energy Efficiency Action Plans or other relevant programmes. The EC has committed €80 million in funding for the instrument from the Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE Programme), administered under the Directorate General for Climate Change. EIB aims to combine the amount with at least another €480 million in loan facilities. [EIB Press Release] [PF4EE Website]

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) MDG Carbon and Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co., Ltd. have announced 12 shortlisted proposals for the Climate Finance Innovation Award. The winning proposal will be awarded US$10,000. [IISD RS Story]

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) have opened round three of the US$350 million IRENA-ADFD Renewable Energy Funding Cycle. Countries have until 18 February 2015 to submit their applications. [IRENA Press Release]