The privately owned Czech firm said it raised US$178mil (RM821.8mil) through the private placement as well as US$75mil (RM346.3mil) in mezzanine financing, plus other forms of loans. — Reuters
PRAGUE: Solar energy firm Solek has closed a US$379mil (RM1.7bil) financing package including a private placement of 20-year bonds in the United States for its projects in Chile, the company says.
The privately owned Czech firm said it raised US$178mil (RM821.8mil) through the private placement as well as US$75mil (RM346.3mil) in mezzanine financing, plus other forms of loans.
Solek said it owns a 284 MW portfolio of photovoltaic (PV) plants in Chile and has projects for 400 MW more.
“This flexible financing will allow us to focus on our PV projects and further development,” said Zdenek Sobotka, founder and chief executive of Solek Group.
BNP Paribas and Natixis New York branch acted as placement agents, arrangers and lenders, the company said.
The proceeds from the private-placement bonds will be used to finance expansion plans and refinance existing debt, Solek said.
It said it has installed 18 solar plants in Europe and 35 in Chile so far, and has 38 Chile projects in the pipeline for this year and next.
It aims to have 400MW of capacity installed by the end of this year globally, and also had projects for 1.4 GW capacity in Europe, with plans in Greece and Romania in the most advanced stage. — Reuters
