The Sainshand wind farm in Mongolia, the third privately financed wind farm in the country, will receive a USD 120 million project financing package from a group of international investors and financiers.
Located 460 km south-east of Ulaanbaatar in the Gobi Desert, Sainshand Salkhin Park LLC is sponsored by French energy leader ENGIE, German project developer Ferrostaal, Danish Climate Investment Fund (DCIF) and Mongolian entrepreneur, Radnaabazar Davaanyam, with long-term financing provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
The lenders have agreed to provide a total project financing of USD 78.5 million, which comprises EIB funding of USD 47 million, of which the first tranche will be guaranteed by EKF, Denmark’s Export Credit Agency, with NORD/LB acting as agent; and EBRD funding of USD 31.5 million.
Once operational, the new Sainshand wind farm will make a significant contribution to reducing Mongolia’s carbon emissions and cater for an expected increase in power demand in the country. The scheme will significantly enlarge Mongolia’s renewable energy capacity and help the government to achieve the goal of renewable energy accounting for 20 per cent of all power by 2020, and 30 per cent by 2030.
Jonathan Taylor, Vice President, European Investment Bank (EIB), said: “The European Investment Bank is committed to supporting climate-related investment across Asia and is pleased to support development of wind power in Mongolia, which provides an alternative to coal use. The Sainshand wind farm will use world-class technology and demonstrate that wind power can be successfully harnessed in remote regions facing a harsh climate.”
Hans-Dietmar Schweisgut, Ambassador, European Union to Mongolia, said: “Mongolia and the European Union are signatories of the Paris Climate Agreement and the new Sainshand wind farm shows the close partnership between Europe and Mongolia to reduce carbon emissions through renewable energy. European finance and technical expertise, working in close cooperation with Mongolian partners, demonstrate a shared ambition to harness wind from the Gobi Desert to tackle climate change.”
The Sainshand wind farm will be built by China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor, and will use 25 Vestas V110 2.2 MW turbines to deliver up to 55 MW of clean energy that will save an estimated 200,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. Construction at the site is expected to start later this summer and be completed before the end of 2018. It follows three years of wind surveys to measure the high-yield winds in the area. The average wind speeds per second at the site are ideal for onshore wind energy.
The project has been developed in consultation with the local communities and a detailed environmental impact assessment has been approved by the relevant national authority. Financing has been agreed following preparation of a comprehensive environmental and social management system compliant with international standards such as those of the EBRD, EIB, International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Equator Principles.
The European Investment Bank has operated in Mongolia since 1997 and past engagement has supported investment in water infrastructure in the capital Ulaanbaatar.
The EIB is one of the world’s largest financiers for renewable energy investment and last year provided €3.9 billion for renewable energy projects including wind, geothermal, solar and hydropower schemes around the world.