Canadian Solar’s and EDF Energies Nouvelles’ Pirapora I Project Secures the First Solar Financing from the Brazilian Development Bank
Canadian Solar Inc. (the “Company”, or “Canadian Solar”) (NASDAQ: CSIQ), one of the world’s largest solar power companies and EDF Energies Nouvelles, a global market leader in renewable energy, today announced that the 191.5 MWp Pirapora I project had secured a project financing facility amounting to BRL529 million (US$163 million) from the Brazilian Development Bank (“BNDES”).
The Pirapora I project is the first-ever solar power generation project to be financed by BNDES, with funding entirely from TJLP (Brazilian Long Term Interest Rate). The 18-year financing facility underscores the confidence of BNDES in the long-term growth of renewable energy in Brazil.
Canadian Solar owns 20% of the photovoltaic project located in Minas Gerais, in partnership with EDF EN do Brasil, EDF Energies Nouvelles’ local subsidiary, that has acquired 80% of the project, in October 2016. Canadian Solar has supplied modules manufactured in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil that satisfy BNDES’ local content requirements. The project is fully contracted with a 20-year inflation-linked power purchase agreement (PPA) awarded in 2015 at an auction organized by the Brazilian Government. The project is currently under construction and is expected to reach commercial operation in the third quarter of 2017.
Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Solar, commented “This cornerstone financing from BNDES for the Pirapora I project demonstrates the total commitment from BNDES and the Brazilian government to support companies willing to invest in the long-term development of solar energy infrastructure in Brazil. We are extremely pleased to have partnered with EDF Energies Nouvelles in securing this landmark transaction in the solar sector.”
About BNDES
BNDES is the main financing agent for development in Brazil. Since its foundation, in 1952, the BNDES has played a fundamental role in stimulating the expansion of industry and infrastructure in the country. Over the course of the Bank’s history, its operations have evolved in accordance with the Brazilian socio-economic challenges, and now they include support for exports, technological innovation, sustainable socio-environmental development, infrastructure development and the modernization of public administration.
About EDF Energies Nouvelles
EDF Energies Nouvelles is a market leader in renewable energy electricity, with a portfolio of more than 9,5 GW gross installed capacity focused for the most part on wind (onshore and offshore) and solar photovoltaic energy. Mostly operating in Europe and North America, EDF Energies Nouvelles continues its development by taking strong positions in promising emerging areas such as Brazil, Chile, China, India or South Africa. The Company is also present in other segments of the renewable energy market: marine energy, distributed energies and energy storage. EDF Energies Nouvelles manages renewable energy projects’ development and construction as well as operation and maintenance for its own account and for third parties. EDF Energies Nouvelles is a subsidiary of the EDF Group dedicated to renewable energy.
Visit us at www.edf-energies-nouvelles.com and follow us on https://www.linkedin.com/company/edf-energies-nouvelles and on Twitter @EDFEN_officiel
About Canadian Solar Inc.
Founded in 2001 in Canada, Canadian Solar is one of the world’s largest and foremost solar power companies. As a leading manufacturer of solar photovoltaic modules and provider of solar energy solutions, Canadian Solar also has a geographically diversified pipeline of utility-scale power projects in various stages of development. In the past 16 years, Canadian Solar has successfully delivered over 21 GW of premium quality modules to over 100 countries around the world. Furthermore, Canadian Solar is one of the most bankable companies in the solar industry, having been publicly listed on NASDAQ since 2006. For additional information about the Company, follow Canadian Solar on LinkedIn or visit www.canadiansolar.com.
Safe Harbor/Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release regarding the Company’s expected future shipment volumes, gross margins, business prospects and future results, are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These statements are made under the “Safe Harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by such terms as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “estimates,” the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include general business and economic conditions and the state of the solar industry; governmental support for the deployment of solar power; future available supplies of high-purity silicon; demand for end-use products by consumers and inventory levels of such products in the supply chain; changes in demand from significant customers; changes in demand from major markets such as Japan, the U.S., India and China; changes in customer order patterns; changes in product mix; capacity utilization; level of competition; pricing pressure and declines in average selling prices; delays in new product introduction; delays in utility-scale project approval process; delays in utility-scale project construction; cancelation of utility-scale feed-in-tariff contracts in Japan; continued success in technological innovations and delivery of products with the features customers demand; shortage in supply of materials or capacity requirements; availability of financing; exchange rate fluctuations; litigation and other risks as described in the Company’s SEC filings, including its annual report on Form 20-F filed on April 27, 2017. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance, or achievements. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All information provided in this press release is as of today’s date, unless otherwise stated, and Canadian Solar undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.
