December 2019 - Astris Finance is pleased to announce the closing of the senior debt financing for Energia del Pacifico, majority-owned by Invenergy

The Energia del Pacifico project (“EDP” or "Project”) consists of the development, construction, and operation of a 378MW LNG-to-power plant at the Port of Acajutla in El Salvador. The Project is majority-owned by Invenergy (“Invenergy” or “Sponsor”), a leading privately held global developer and operator of sustainable energy solutions, along with its local partner and original developer, Quantum Energy. Lenders to the Project include the Overseas Private Investment Corporation ("OPIC"), the International Finance Corporation (“IFC”), Finnish Export Credit Ltd (“FEC”), and the Inter-American Investment Corporation (“IDBI”). Astris Finance served as exclusive financial advisor to Invenergy over the multi-year financial structuring process.

This Project is expected to have a high developmental impact in El Salvador through the development of the country’s first LNG-to-power generation facility. As the largest thermal power plant in El Salvador, the Project will help meet increasing electricity demand, adding 30% to the country’s available installed capacity and displacing an equivalent amount of polluting and CO2 intense heavy fuel oil based thermal generation.

The EDP Project and the attendant FSRU (leased by the Project), together, will represent approximately US$ 1 billion of investment dedicated to a country whose credit rating makes for a challenging credit environment. The Project used multi-point contracting structure managed by Invenergy with a total construction period slated to cover a period of two years from the issuance of notice to proceed.

The Project successfully raised $657 million of multi-source limited-recourse financing, consisting of three loans provided by development finance institutions (IFC, OPIC and IDBI), as well as an ECA covered loan with KfW IPEX-Bank as the original lender and facility agent, FEC as the funding provider and the Finnish Export Credit Agency Finnvera guaranteeing the ECA loan. The Lenders are pari-passu in seniority and the total debt collectively covers a period of 18 years door-to-door which is a notable tenor for Central America. The transaction closed in December 2019.

December 2019 - Astris Finance advises Celeo Redes on a Greenfield-Brownfield Portfolio Financing via US Private Placement in Chile

The portfolio of transmission projects in Chile totals more than 550km of transmission lines and 8 substations and consists of one operating asset and two construction assets (CASTE and MATE) to be built over the coming four years. The CASTE project (itself made up of 3 subprojects) is expected to benefit up to 50% of the national population, operating in one of the most densely populated areas of the country and the MATE project (itself made up of 11 subprojects) is expected to benefit 17.6% of the national population.

The portfolio forms part of the national transmission grid in Chile where revenues from the assets are based on availability payments which will be reset after 20 operating years.

Astris Finance served as the exclusive financial advisor to Celeo Redes during the financing process. The financing amounted to USD 365 million which was issued via a private placement, fully subscribed by Allianz Global Investors. The debt has a total tenor of 30 years and a weight average life of over 20 years. This is one of the largest private placements in the region to date and the first at this tenor with a greenfield / brownfield mix. The transaction closed in December 2019.

June 2019- Astris Closes 69.5 MW Solar Portfolio in Chile

Astris Finance is pleased to announce the successful closing of the 69.5 MW Arroyo Solar Portfolio Financing in Chile. The Portfolio includes a mix of greenfield and brownfield assets being developed under the regulated tariff structure of Pequeños Medios de Generación Distribuída (“PMGD”).

 Astris served as the sole financial advisor to the Arroyo Energy Group, a private equity fund based in the United States, and Natixis arranged the financing.

May 2019 – Astris Completes Sale of Equity Interest in 300 MWp Solar PV Project in Spain

Astris Finance is happy to announce the closing of the Talasol transaction, the sale of an equity interest in a 300 MWp Solar PV project in Southern Spain. Ellomay’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Ellomay Luxembourg Holdings, S.à.r.l., sold 49% of the outstanding shares of Talasol Solar, S.L.U. (the "Project Company"), to GSE 3 UK Limited and Fond-ICO Infraestructuras II, FICC. Astris’ office in Madrid has worked for the past nine months to close this sale.

This Project Company is promoting the construction of a photovoltaic plant with a peak capacity of 300MW in the municipality of Talaván, in Extramadura Spain (the "Talasol Project").

The Talasol Project is one of the first PV projects in Spain to secure a PPA. Ran Fridrich, CEO and a board member of Ellomay, commented: "The entry of partners to Talasol, which is expected to be one of the largest photovoltaic projects in Europe, will mark the final milestone for financial closing and commencement of construction of the project, which will take place right after. The transaction enables us to create an optimal ownership structure that includes entities with advantages both on the local level and on the financial level, alongside the continued control of the project by Ellomay."

Ellomay Capital Ltd., an Israeli based public company, is a renewable energy and power generator, and developer of renewable energy and power projects in Europe and Israel.

Astris services as sole financial advisor for this transaction.

April 2019 - Astris Closes Debt Financing on Vietnam Solar Power Plant Project

Astris Finance is pleased to announce the successful closing of the debt financing for the 49.5-MWp Cat Hiep Solar Power Plant Project (the “Project”), arranged with one of Vietnam's largest banking groups.

 Quadran International developed the Project, in association with Truong Thanh Vietnam Group (TTVN). Astris Finance acted as the sole financial advisor to the project company and sponsors.

The Project is the first solar power plant developed in Vietnam by Quadran International. It is currently under construction, with the goal of reaching commission in June 2019. The target annual production of the Project is approximately 76.5 MWh, which will supply energy to 40,000 homes in South Central Vietnam. The Project secured a 14-year project finance package on a non-recourse basis.

A credit agreement between the Project company and the domestic bank was signed on March 7 at the French Embassy of Hanoi. His Excellency M. Bertrand Lortholary, Ambassador of France, was in attendance.

Hugo Virag, who heads Astris Finance’s operations in Southeast Asia, said, “We thank Quadran International for its confidence in Astris Finance’s ability to secure long-term project financing in a very short time frame. On the back of the first Vietnamese renewable debt financing that we closed in the wind sector in mid-2018, we were confident we could replicate the same project finance package in the solar sector while significantly fast-tracking the credit process. We achieved a time frame of four months from due diligence and structuring to signing the credit documentation."

Fabrice Henry, CEO of Astris Finance, said: “This transaction is another important milestone for both the Vietnamese renewable sector and the Vietnamese banking sector, as it sets a project finance standard in line with international best practices. This second closing in less than 12 months confirms the breakthrough of the wind financing we arranged in the summer of 2018 and bodes well for the future of renewable financing in Vietnam.”

For any inquiries, please contact Mr. Hugo Virag via email (hugo.virag@astrisfinance.com) or at +65 6809 3718

April 2019 – Astris Closes the Sale of a 115 MW French Solar Portfolio for DIF III and IV

Astris Finance is pleased to announce the successful sale of the Alpine portfolio of 29 solar plants owned by DIF to Terres d’Energie, whose majority stakeholder is Tenergie. Astris served as the sole financial advisor to DIF, an independent infrastructure fund manager. Alpine is the second transaction on which Astris has advised DIF, following the senior debt portfolio refinancing of the Durance solar PV assets in 2017.

The total capacity of this portfolio adds up to 107.8 MW, of which:
•    DIF III was a shareholder in projects which capacities totalled 97.8 MW
•    DIF IV was a shareholder in projects which capacities totalled 10MW

The portfolio included a mix of ground-mounted and rooftop assets, all of which entered commercial operation between 2009 and 2016. All projects benefit from 20-year Feed-in Tariffs. 

Andrew Freeman, Head of Exits of DIF, said: “We are pleased with the completion of the sale of the Portfolio that was successfully optimized throughout the life of the assets, starting with acquiring individual projects or small portfolios, bringing some of them through construction, completing refinancings of two sub portfolios in 2016 and 2017, recontracting and then exiting via a competitive portfolio sales process.”

DIF
DIF invests in greenfield and brownfield infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, North America and Australasia through two complementary strategies:
•    DIF Infrastructure V targets equity investments in public-private partnerships (PPP/PFI/P3), concessions, regulated assets and renewable energy projects with long-term contracted or regulated income streams that generate stable and predictable cash flows.
•    DIF Core Infrastructure Fund I targets equity investments in small to mid-sized infrastructure assets in the energy, transportation and telecom sectors with mid-term contracted income streams that generate stable and predictable cash flows.

March 2019 - Astris Announces the Closing of Two Solar PV Deals in Mexico and Argentina with Neoen

Astris Finance is pleased to announce that our client, Neoen, has reached financial close on two Solar PV projects in Mexico and Argentina. We acted as financial advisor to Neoen beginning during each respective bidding process through financial close.

Astris served as the financial advisor on the Aguascalientes Project, a landmark project in Mexico. This was the largest project awarded a PPA in Mexico Third RE auction at 374 MWp, with the world’s cheapest solar PV PPA price at US$18.93/MWh. Astris secured financing for US$186m with competitive terms including a senior debt tenor of 19.5 years, door-to-door

In Argentina, Astris advised Neoen on the Altiplano Project, a combination of two projects, with power purchase agreements awarded in the RenovAr competitive tenders The financing consisted of two tranches, one with the participation of Proparco, DEG and ICCF, and the second with Societe General and KfW, including a coverage from BPIAE.

Neoen is France’s leading independent producer (IPP) of renewable energy. Neoen is active in France, Australia, El Salvador, Zambia, Jamaica, Portugal, Mexico, Mozambique, Finland, and Argentina and has assets in more than 15 countries.  

Astris acted as sole financial advisor to Neoen.

October 2018 - Cerro Dominador Dual Technology Solar Complex in Chile's Atacama Desert Closes US$ 1bn Financing Package and Receives Two Deals of the Year Awards

Earlier this month the Project received two awards from Latin Finance: Best Renewable Energy Financing in Latin America and Best Infrastructure Financing, Andean Region.  
12 lenders participated in the financing, totaling c. US$ 1bn of commitments. 

Astris congratulates its client EIG Global Energy Partners (EIG) and its portfolio company Cerro Dominador on the successful funding of the final stage of construction for its 210 MW combined photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) plant in the Atacama desert in Chile - and on the two well deserved awards. 

The funding in July 2018 allowed for the repayment of certain bridge loans as well as payment for the issuance of notice to proceed to finalize the construction of the CSP plant which had been suspended. The PV plant is already operational and the CSP plant is expected to achieve COD during 2020. The works are being executed by Abengoa and Acciona under joint arrangements. Cerro Dominador’s CSP plant will be the first operational CSP plant in Latin America – marking the beginning of a new era for renewable power in Chile and the region.

Astris Finance served as financial advisor to EIG and Cerro Dominador on this landmark transaction which included the participation of twelve international project finance banks and institutional investors.  Astris advised on the Senior Debt Facilities (which included a senior loan, a VAT loan and a debt service reserve letter of credit) as well as a financing at the holding company level.

“The financing for Cerro Dominador illustrated Astris’ ability to build on its substantial track record in the Chilean energy sector with respect to both technology and size,” mentioned Tobey Collins, Managing Director and Head of the Astris Washington DC office.

Romain Papassian, Astris Director and deal team leader, further added “We were able to rise above the financing challenges associated with the project’s status as the first application of the CSP technology in the region as well as the project’s history to successfully close and fund on a timely basis.”

The Cerro Dominador financing was innovative in terms of technology, financing structure, and size – and Astris is proud to have been a part of this achievement together with EIG and Cerro Dominador. 

September 2018 - Sale of LANGA to ENGIE Green France

Astris Finance congratulates its clients, the shareholders of LANGA, for successfully completing the sale of LANGA to French energy leader ENGIE Green France. 

Founded in 2008 in Brittany, the LANGA group is one of the most active French independent producers of renewable energy. LANGA is present in solar, wind, biogas and biomass. LANGA is involved in the entire value chain of its projects, from development to construction and operation. Its portfolio of assets in operation is expected to reach 215 MW by the end of 2018, of which 165 MW in solar energy and 39 MW in wind energy. LANGA is also developing 1.3 GW of projects due to be completed by 2022. It demonstrated its competitiveness during the most recent CRE2 solar calls for tender, where it came in third with ENGIE taking first place.

Astris Finance served as exclusive financial advisor to the shareholders of Langa on this landmark transaction. The competitive process, was concluded in 6 months from start to finish. It benefited from a thorough vendor due diligence exercise which encompassing over 600 solar and wind assets in development or operation.

Gilles Lebreux, founder and CEO of the LANGA group, stated: “The clarity and determination shown throughout the acquisition proposal as well as the business proposal put forward by ENGIE were key factors in the decision of our shareholder group to project LANGA into the future. The management team has gradually been able to position itself as a major actor in the development of renewable energy in France and in particular in 2017, by winning many calls for tender launched by the CRE. The partnership with Terre et Lac and the support from Astris Finance, as financial advisor, have been major factors in the development of the LANGA group as well as in the timeliness of this alliance.”

Arnaud Germain, a Director in the Paris office of Astris and the Transaction team leader added: “The French renewable energy sector has now entered a consolidation phase, which is reflected by a number of recent, large-scale transactions. The profile of the historical players is naturally leading the sector towards consolidation to create more sizable and better capitalized entities, attracting larger investors. The sector is currently witnessing the execution of several consolidation operations in a variety of forms -- assets sale, acquisition of independent power producers, financial and/or strategic partnerships, where Astris Finance is ideally positioned to play a key role thanks to both its extensive track record in the global renewable space and its intimate knowledge of the French renewable industry.”

July 2018 – Dam Nai Wind Project Closes on Vietnam’s First Non-Recourse Project Financing in the Non-hydro Renewable Energy Sector

Astris Finance is pleased to announce the successful closing of the debt financing for the 40 MW Dam Nai wind project (the “Project”) arranged with one of the largest Vietnamese banking groups.

This closing would not have been possible without the remarkable collaboration of the visionary stakeholders behind the Dam Nai wind project. Ahead of the market, these stakeholders worked together to apply the global wind industry’s best practices in respect of all aspects of project development -- design, construction, operation, environmental & social impact assessment and mitigation, and debt financing.

The Project has been developed by Singapore-headquartered The Blue Circle in association with local partner TSV Investments. In February 2017, Armstrong SEA Clean Energy Fund invested into the Project and since then has been acting as its financial sponsor. Astris Finance acted as exclusive financial advisor to the project company and its sponsors.

The Project was the first foreign-controlled wind farm project to reach commissioning in Vietnam, when its Phase 1 of 6MW achieved commercial operation in November 2017.

The seventeen-year financing for an amount in VND equivalent to approximately USD 45m signed in June and received its first disbursement on July 3rd, 2018. Its main purpose is to refinance a portion of the Phase 1 costs and to finance the construction of Phase 2. It is the first-ever long-term project finance package arranged for a non-hydro renewable project in Vietnam with no direct recourse against the sponsors and no credit enhancement solution.

Hugo Virag, who heads Astris Finance’s operations in South East Asia, said: “This is a landmark transaction for both the Vietnamese renewable sector and the Vietnamese banking sector. We hope it will greatly contribute to setting solid market standards for the Vietnamese renewable project finance sector, paving the way for the rapid expansion of renewable energy in Vietnam.”

According to the National Power Development Plan VII, as amended in 2016, Vietnam’s generation capacity is expected to grow from 45 GW currently to 130 GW in 2030 – with over 26 GW to be contributed by non-hydro renewable projects. This growth is unlikely to take place without a solid project finance framework in place.

Fabrice Henry, CEO of Astris Finance, said: “This transaction showcases one of the trademarks of Astris: our ability to patiently work with market participants to craft a financing structure that closes the contractual and regulatory gaps often present when a new energy market emerges.

We are both honoured and proud to have contributed to the advancement of the renewable energy market in Vietnam and are hopeful that the market will grow very strongly in the years ahead.”

For any inquiries, please contact Mr. Hugo Virag via email (hugo.virag@astrisfinance.com) or at +65 6809 3718