Astris Finance is pleased to announce the simultaneous financial close of three Photovoltaic Power Plant transactions in France, Chile and Japan, demonstrating the outstanding track-record of Astris Finance in the renewable sector on a global scale
Gunma Mega-solar, Japan
Grupo T-Solar (“GTS”), a global Solar Independent Power Producer, initiated the development of the Gunma Solar PV Power plant in 2013 for a total installed capacity of 31 MWp. The Project is the first large scale power plant developed by GTS in Japan, and will constitute the cornerstone of GTS’s Japanese development strategy.
The Project is financed using a JPY 11.5 bn non-recourse project finance facility provided by a commercial bank syndicate combining international and Japanese commercial banks - a true first in the Japanese solar sector.
Astris Finance as financial advisor to GTS put in place the financing with a final tenor of 19 years post completion, leverage of 85% and a low sizing DSCR in line with the credit quality of Tokyo Electric (TEPCO), the off-taker under the 20-year Power Purchase Agreement.
Tenergie Portfolio, France
Astris Finance advised Tenergie, a French solar developer, in connection with the refinancing (the “Refinancing”) of its portfolio of operating PV assets in France (the “Portfolio”). The Portfolio is composed of 48 projects held by 39 SPVs, out of which 6 projects (37.6 MWp) are ground-mounted and 42 projects (16.8 MWp) are rooftop-integrated.
Since their completion, all assets within the Porftolio have had outstanding operational performance, exceeding significantly the initial production and cash-flow forecasts. Leveraging on the plants’ excellent performance, the Refinancing takes advantage of current market conditions to increase the quantity and improve the quality of the debt borne by the Portfolio – extended maturity, lower coverage ratios and tighter margins.
Following an extensive market consultation, Tenergie and Astris selected Unifergie, La Banque Postale, la Banque Publique d’Investissement and the debt fund Rivage Investment to provide the Refinancing debt. The debt is located at the level of a holding company that owns all project SPVs within the Portfolio. The proceeds of the Refinancing will be used by Tenergie to cover corporate expenses and to fund its ambitious external growth strategy.
Astris Finance acted as financial advisor to Tenergie for the raising of the 151 mEUR facility, which marks a true first in the French market for a solar portfolio refinancing including both ground-mounted and rooftop assets. Astris is currently mandated on four similar refinancing transactions in Europe for solar and wind power plant portfolios.
Los Loros Merchant, Chile
Solairedirect, a subsidiary of Engie dedicated to the development, construction and operation of photovoltaic power plants, recently initiated the construction of a 54 MWp Solar PV project in Los Loros, Chile.
The project will sell energy to the Chilean spot market after completion, which is scheduled for August 2016. The project is one of the few photovoltaic solar plants in the world that are entirely financed on a merchant basis.
The contemplated financing includes a senior loan provided by a club of multilateral and bilateral agencies including the IDB, the China Fund , the Canadian Climate Fund and Proparco. The Canadian Climate Fund is also providing a mezzanine loan facility. The financing documentation was signed in early September 2015 with first disbursement expected to occur shortly.
Astris Finance acted as Financial Advisor to Solairedirect through commercial and financial structuring, negotiations, due diligence and documentation phases of the transaction. This project is the seventh solar transaction executed by Astris Finance in Latin America, affirming the firm’s track record in the Latin American renewable energy sector.