Bank will provide credit-enhancement and loan to bonds issued by Philippine company
Credit: Flickr The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has backed Asia’s first climate bond issuance by Philippine firm AP Renewables, Inc, through provision of credit-enhancement in the form of a guarantee of 75 per cent of principal and interest on the bond.
Credit-enhancement is a third-party guarantee assuring investors of timely debt service payments related to the bond, even in case of a default by the issuer.
ADB will provide credit-enhancement to the climate bonds issued for the Tiwi-MakBan geothermal energy facilities, the lending agency said in a release.
The issue size of the local currency bond is 10.7 billion Philippine Peso (PHP), which is equivalent to $225 million. The credit-enhancement comes in addition to a direct ADB loan of PHP 1.8 billion ($37.7 million equivalent).
The bond has been certified by Climate Bonds Initiative, an international not-for-profit focusing on mobilising the bond market for climate change solutions.
The issuance is the first in Asia and the Pacific and the first-ever climate bond for a single project in an emerging market, ADB said. The lending agency has committed to double its financing for climate change adaptation and mitigation by 2020.
“The transaction is highly innovative, representing the first project bond ever issued in local currency in the Philippine power sector and the first credit-enhanced project bond in Southeast Asia (excluding Malaysia) since the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis,” said Reginaldo Cariaso, managing director, BPI Capital Corporation, which was the lead arranger and sole underwriter of the bond issuance.
AP Renewables, Inc, is a subsidiary of AboitizPower Corporation which is a major power developer in the Philippines. AboitizPower acquired the Tiwi-MakBan complexes in 2009 from the government. Tiwi and MakBan are the seventh and fourth largest geothermal facilities in the world.
AboitizPower's renewable energy portfolio comprises of 29 hydro and geothermal power generation facilities with a total of 915 megawatts attributable net sellable capacity.
We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.
.png)
Comments are moderated and will be published only after the site moderator’s approval. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition.