$3.9bn financing raised for Cogas plants in Egypt
DUBAI, April 12, 2016
Deutsche Bank, HSBC and KfW IPEX-Bank have jointly structured and arranged the Hermes-underwritten financing for the Beni Suef, Burullus and New Capital Cogas plants in Egypt.
A consortium of 17 international banks is raising the debt capital of €3.5 billion ($3.9 billion), said a statement.
The three large power plants, all of the same design, will each have a 4,800 megawatt (MW) production capacity, with a combined capacity of 14.4 gigawatts (GW).
Upon completion in 2018, they will be the largest in the world. The projects will boost Egypt’s electricity production by 50 per cent and make a significant contribution to the country’s national economic development.
For exporter Siemens, the Egyptian order is the biggest in the company’s history. The total investment cost for the three power plants will run to €6 billion ($6.84 billion).
Together, the banks are acting as co-ordinating initial mandated lead arrangers (CIMLAs) for the financing. The banks have been mandated for the project by the state-owned Egyptian Electricity Holding Company (EEHC).
The CIMLAs are also acting as co-bookrunners for the syndication of the Hermes-covered finance with Deutsche Bank acting as coordinating bookrunner.
KfW IPEX-Bank assumes an additional role as Hermes Agent and Facility Agent. The co-ordinating bank for environmental and social project due diligence for the Beni Suef and Burullus power plants is Deutsche Bank. HSBC is acting as environmental co-ordinator for New Capital.
The mandate was awarded in June last year following a memorandum of understanding signed by Siemens and Egypt at the Sharm-El-Sheikh conference in March of the same year and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s subsequent state visit to Germany.
In November, the loan agreement was signed for the first project in Beni Suef. March then saw the financial close for the other two power plants, Burullus and New Capital. The loans are guaranteed by the Egyptian Finance Ministry.
The core component of each of the natural gas-fired combined cycle power plants, which are to be built at three different locations across the country, will be eight latest-generation Siemens gas turbines.
The H-Class, as it is known, is a maximum efficiency turbine, thus providing not only a reliable energy supply but also a greener one. - TradeArabia News Service
