The International Finance Corporation has approved an A-loan of up to €60 million for Elementum Energy to build two wind farms in Ukraine with a combined capacity of 257.6 MW. The «Danube» project in the south and the «Ternopil» project in the west of the country are estimated to cost approximately €400 million. The investment has been approved by the IFC’s Board of Directors, although the loan agreements have yet to be signed.
Briefly about the main points
- The IFC has approved a €60 million A-loan for Elementum Energy.
- The «Danube» and «Ternopil» wind farms will have a capacity of 57.6 and 200 MW respectively.
- The joint loan package could amount to €250 million.
- The EBRD has earmarked up to €70 million in loans and concessional financing.
- The project includes a battery storage system with a capacity of 20 MWh.
The credit facility is still being finalised
The IFC plans to provide funding from its own resources in the form of an A-loan. Additional debt financing is to be raised through a B-loan and parallel loans from other institutions.
The total loan facility for Elementum Energy could amount to up to €250 million. On the IFC website, the project status is listed as ‘Pending Signing’: the investment has already been approved by the corporation’s board of directors, but the relevant agreements have yet to be signed.
Nine turbines in the south and 32 in the west
The «Danube» project will have a capacity of 57.6 MW and will consist of three wind farms, each of which will have three turbines installed. Construction will take place in southern Ukraine.
The «Ternopil» wind farm, also known as Windpark West-R, has a capacity of 200 MW and involves the installation of 32 wind turbines in the western part of the country. According to the EBRD, both projects will generate approximately 730 GWh of electricity each year.
The EBRD has approved individual project loans
European Bank The Reconstruction and Development Fund has approved a long-term senior loan of up to €60 million. A further €10 million is earmarked as a preferential loan from the Clean Technology Fund.
The EBRD’s funding forms part of a joint financing package put together in collaboration with the IFC and other lenders. The Bank estimates the total cost of the two energy projects at approximately €401 million.
The storage facility is intended to help manage generation imbalances
The initiative involves a pilot battery storage system with a capacity of 10 MW and an energy storage capacity of 20 MWh. It will be installed at one of Elementum Energy’s existing sites.
As the implementing organisation of the Clean Technology Fund, the IFC can bridge the financial viability gap for the pilot project. The company plans to use the storage facility to optimise wind power generation, in particular to manage imbalances and output constraints. According to the EBRD’s estimates, the projects will prevent around 469,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions each year.
«There are plans to connect »Danube’ by the end of 2026
Construction of the «Danube» wind farm has already begun. Elementum Energy had previously planned to connect the station, with an approximate capacity of 60 MW, to the grid by the end of 2026.
The project for a 200-megawatt power station in western Ukraine was in the final stages of development. The company expected it to start supplying electricity to the grid in 2028.
