The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has secured a $116m (€95.1m) green loan to build and operate three 48MW wind farms, totaling 144 MW, in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam.
The loan is with Lien Lap Wind Power Joint Stock Company (Lien Lap), Phong Huy Wind Power Joint Stock Company (Phong Huy), and Phong Nguyen Wind Power Joint Stock Company (Phong Nguyen) .
The project is expected to increase Vietnam’s wind power capacity by 30%, helping the country meet rapidly growing demand for energy.
Lien Lap, Phong Huy, and Phong Nguyen are owned by Power Construction Joint Stock Company No.1 (PCC1) and RENOVA.
The loan forms part of a $173m green loan project financing package arranged and syndicated by ADB as mandated lead arranger and bookrunner.
It is ADB’s first financing of a wind power project in Vietnam, and is certified by the Climate Bonds Initiative, which administers the international Climate Bond Standard and Certification Scheme.
The ADB loan comprises a $35m A loan directly funded by ADB and an $81m syndicated B loan.
ADB private sector operations department infrastructure finance division director for East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Jackie B. Surtani said: “Lien Lap, Phong Huy, and Phong Nguyen will add to ADB’s extensive experience in large-scale renewable energy projects in Vietnam, and underlines our commitment to helping the country map a clean energy future.
“This is a milestone project which demonstrates how private financing can be effectively mobilized to develop wind power projects in Asia and the Pacific.
PCC1 chairman of the board of directors and general director Trinh Van Tuan said: “This transaction is our first wind power project and the first time that we engaged with a group of international finance institutions and commercial banks.
“ADB’s leadership in deal structuring, due diligence, and loan syndications is very crucial for the success of this transaction.”
ADB mobilized long-term US dollar limited-recourse financing from commercial banks and other development finance institutions that was unavailable locally.
This was done through a combination of B loans and parallel loans.
Parallel lenders include the Japan International Cooperation Agency and Export Finance Australia.
B loan participants include Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited; Bank of China Limited Macau Branch; Société Générale, Singapore Branch; and Triodos Groenfonds NV.
The project will generate an average of 422GWh of electricity and avoid an average of 162,430 tons of CO2 emissions annually.
A gender action plan under the project will provide women from the local community with access to training on wind power operation and management.