ADB to provide $121.55m loan for private sector solar project in Bangladesh

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide US$121.55 million to a Bangladeshi private sector company for constructing a 100-megawatt solar-based power plant in Pabna.

The Manila-based lender and the private sector company Dynamic Sun Energy (DSE) Private Limited signed an agreement to this end on Monday.

DSE, owned by Paramount Textile PLC (PT), one of the largest woven textile manufacturers in Bangladesh, also operates several power plants.

The PT manufactures high-quality yarn-dyed and printed woven fabrics using a wide range of yarns, modern weaving technologies, and print types. PT was publicly listed on the Dhaka and Chittagong stock exchanges in 2013.

The plant is the country’s first private sector utility-scale solar facility to secure support from global financiers, ADB said in a press release on Tuesday.

ADB arranged, structured, and syndicated the debt package as the sole mandated lead arranger and bookrunner, the lender said.

The financing package comprises a $46.75 million loan from ADB, a syndicated B-loan of $28.05 million from ILX Fund I, an Amsterdam-based emerging market private credit fund focused on supporting the Sustainable Development Goals with ADB as lender of record, and a syndicated parallel loan of $46.75 million from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

“As Asia’s climate bank, ADB welcomes the opportunity to support renewable energy in Bangladesh, where obtaining long-term financing for such projects is a challenge,” said ADB Private Sector Operations Department Director General Suzanne Gaboury.

This partnership exemplifies ADB's lead role in mobilising financing for clean energy facilities and stimulating further investment in sectors where it’s needed the most, he added.

The solar power plant will generate 193.5 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually and avoid 93,654 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

“We are delighted to secure financing for one of the largest private sector solar projects in Bangladesh to date, with the support of international lenders led by ADB,” said PT Managing Director Shakhawat Hossain.