Norway’s NBT and France’s Total Eren have finalized an agreement on the second phase of the project financing of construction of the 250 MW Syvash wind farm (Kherson region) in the amount of EUR 107.6 million, INTEGRITES law firm, which advised the companies, has said in a press release. According to the law firm, this financing agreement was signed with a syndicate of development banks including Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (EUR 30 million), Proparco (ca. EUR 42 million), Finnfund and IFU (EUR 15 million each), and the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO) (EUR 5 million).
All in all, the financing put into place for the whole project reaches EUR 262.6 million. The first phase of financing included a loan of up to EUR 155 million led by EBRD. EBRD’s loan consisted of EUR 75 million, Green for Growth Fund (GGF) and the Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO) provided EUR 75 million, while a parallel loan of EUR 5 million was provided by the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO).
In addition, AlGihaz, a Saudi Arabian conglomerate, recently took a minority stake in the project alongside Total Eren.
INTEGRITES has advised NBT and Total Eren on all issues within Ukrainian law. In particular, INTEGRITES’ advise included negotiations with the abovementioned international banks, support on the local statutory requirements and communication of project related matters with the National Bank of Ukraine.
“We welcome the closing of the first large-scale project finance in renewable energy In Ukraine. Signing of the second segment with four new international financial institutions and one new co-shareholder on board speaks for the quality of the project and continuing high interest of foreign investors, making a great contribution to increasing of investment into Ukraine,” Managing Partner at INTEGRITES Oleksiy Feliv said.
The volume of state financing of the rocket and space industry of Ukraine in 2019 should amount to UAH 2.13 billion, which is 14% less compared to 2018. These parameters are stipulated in the country’s main financial law for 2019, which has been posted on the Verkhovna Rada’s website. State financing for the space industry from the general fund of the national budget of 2019 will amount to UAH 2.12 billion (99.5% of the budget).
In the total amount of funding for the industry through the general fund, UAH 1.47 billion (69% of the industry budget) should be used for servicing debt obligations on the loan raised under state guarantees for the implementation of the project “Creating the National Satellite Communications System.” In 2018, some UAH 1.55 billion (62.5%) was foreseen for this purpose.
Some UAH 78.5 million is foreseen for carrying out work on state targeted programs and government orders in the space industry in 2019, which is 9.8% less than in 2018, while UAH 344.8 million will be spent on management and testing space vehicles, or 14% less compared to 2018.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) stops financing projects in the field of solar energy in Ukraine until a more rational method of supporting the development of renewable energy sources is introduced, senior banker of the EBRD’s energy department Olga Yeriomina has said at the Ukrainian Energy Week in Kyiv.
“Now this is the issue of several days when the bank may decide that in future it will not support new projects on renewable energy. We have already decided that we are not taking new projects on electricity, while we have not yet decided on wind energy,” she said.
The banker stressed that the bank is concerned about a lack of significant steps on the part of the parliament to move from the “feed-in” tariff to other, more rational systems of support for the development of renewable energy sources in the country, in particular, to “green” auctions.
“I am afraid that we will not be the last “swallow” to stop supporting projects on renewable energy, unless an immediate planned transition to a more sustainable support system for renewable energy projects begins,” she added.
According to her, the feed-in tariff has already played its role in stimulating the development of renewable energy in the country and is now a burden for the budget, from which the difference between the feed-in tariff and the tariff for energy production by traditional sources is reimbursed.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved the state program of cooperation with foreign Ukrainians for the period until 2020 with approximate financing of UAH 106 million. The corresponding decision was made at a government meeting in Kyiv on May 10. It says the aim of the program is to ensure the deepening of cooperation with foreign Ukrainians by increasing the effectiveness of work of the executive bodies with this category of Ukrainians and their public organizations.
The approximate amount of expenditures under this state program is UAH 106 million, in particular UAH 98 million at the expense of the national budget, UAH 7.8 million from local budgets, and UAH 200,000 from other sources.
So, in 2018 it is planned to spend UAH 33.7 million on the program, some UAH 36 million in 2019, and UAH 36.3 million in 2020.
It is expected that the implementation of this program will create conditions for consolidation of efforts of foreign Ukrainians to promote an independent, democratic and rule-of-law state in Ukraine; will confirm the positive image of Ukraine in the world; will support the European integration of the country; contribute to strengthening the cultural, informational and linguistic needs of foreign Ukrainians; will ensure the preservation and development of the Ukrainian language abroad
