The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has decided to provide a EUR 70 million loan for the construction of a 120 MW wind farm in the Odesa region with a total cost of EUR 231 million.
“IFC is supporting the project during the pre-investment phase to enhance its financial attractiveness, particularly with regard to electricity market analysis and power purchase agreements,” the corporation stated on its website.
The project is expected to receive support from partners of the Action Program for Enhancing Ukraine’s Economic Resilience (“ERA Program”), including the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), the Government of the French Republic, and the European Commission under the Ukraine Investment Facility (EC-UIF), as noted in the “Blended Finance” section
According to the corporation, the project is being implemented by a specialized company registered in Ukraine.
At the same time, according to the IFC, the project is majority-owned by the German company Notus Energy GmbH, which operates more than 1.6 GW of wind power capacity worldwide. The project’s shareholder structure also includes minority shareholders in the form of Horizon Capital, a private investment firm operating in Ukraine and Moldova, through its recently established Catalyst Fund and Green for Growth Fund.
As explained by the IFC, the additional benefits of the corporation’s participation in this project are both financial and non-financial in nature. In particular, the financial value stems from the financing structure, as the IFC is providing a loan with a maturity of up to 17 years. The IFC will also help attract additional financing for the project.
“The non-financial value lies in reducing non-commercial risks, as the IFC’s presence is expected to boost investor confidence in a challenging market,” the corporation noted.
IFC is also providing technical support to help the project enhance its financial attractiveness, particularly in terms of market analysis and power purchase agreements.
Horizon Capital manages six private equity funds (with over 40 institutional investors) totaling $1.6 billion in assets, including WNISEF ($150 million), the Emerging Europe Growth Fund (EEGF, $132 million), EEGF II ($370 million), EEGF III ($200 million), HCGF II ($258.3 million), and HCGF IV ($350 million). The funds have invested in 191 companies, which employ over 80,000 people in Ukraine and Moldova.
As previously reported, on June 17, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) also approved a decision to provide a loan of up to EUR 65 million for the construction of the aforementioned 120 MW wind farm in the Odesa region.
IFC, Notus Energy, ODESA REGION, RENEWABLE ENERGY, WIND FARM
