Kom Ombo solar plant and green cities to get EBRD funding
Kom Ombo solar plant to get USD 114 mn financing package from the EBRD and Co: ACWA Power was awarded a USD 114 mn financing package for its 200 MW Kom Ombo solar power plant by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), OPEC Fund for International Development, African Development Bank (AfDB), Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Arab Bank, the EBRD said in a statement this morning (pdf).
The EBRD is providing the majority of the funding, contributing USD 36 mn to the overall pot, while also providing a USD 14 mn equity bridge loan alongside another USD 33.5 mn bridge loan from the Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP). The announcement came during the second day of EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso’s two-day Cairo trip.
The EBRD also signed an MoU that would include 6th of October City in its EUR 2.5 bn Green Cities program, joining Cairo and Alexandria, the bank announced today (pdf). The program aims to provide financing to invest in sustainable municipal infrastructure to help cities become greener through customized Green City Action Plans, tackling the most pressing environmental challenges. What does this mean for 6th of October City? The development of a dry port is the first order of business, the statement reads.
All part of the EBRD’s plan to be a majority green bank by 2025: The EBRD is looking to direct 50% of its global financing on green projects, up from its target of 40% for 2021, Renaud-Basso told us. 75% of that should go to the private sector, she added.
CORRECTION: In a previous version of this story, we incorrectly stated that the EBRD’s USD 114 mn financing for the Kom Ombo solar plant would increase the plant’s capacity by 200 MW. The plant’s total capacity is 200MW.