IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, has acquired a minority equity stake in and provided a $280 million loan facility to Indonesian independent power producer PT Bajradaya Sentranusa (BDSN).
The deal will support the long-term operation of Asahan 1, a 180-megawatt hydroelectric power plant in North Sumatra province to provide low-cost, renewable, and dependable power in a country that is often hit by power outages.
The financing agreements, which comprise IFC loans of $75 million as well as syndicated and parallel loans of $205 million, aim to bolster BDSN’s financial sustainability and reduce Indonesia’s reliance on traditional fuel sources.
“With this strategic and financial support from IFC and other lenders, we look forward to providing more affordable and environmentally friendly hydropower energy to meet our country’s growing electricity needs,” said Adek Julianwar, President Director of BDSN.
More than a quarter of Indonesia’s growing population is not connected to the national grid, leaving about 66 million people without access to electricity; the Sumatra grid suffers the longest blackouts among all of the country’s regional grids. Sixty percent of Indonesia’s electricity supply in 2012 came from coal and oil, both of which are polluting fuels that produce high carbon emissions.
The investment in BDSN is part of IFC’s strategy of building long-term partnerships in renewable-energy sectors that power development. Asahan 1, which is powered by the river’s natural flow, has been providing reliable power at a low cost since it started operating in January 2011 and is now a cornerstone of the country’s regional electricity grid.
Estimated savings from BDSN’s power generation is up to $250 million per year based on the marginal cost of production in the North Sumatra grid of around 30 U.S. cents per kilowatt hour using diesel fuel.
“We are committed to supporting private sector companies like BDSN to provide low-cost renewable energy that will improve the stability of Indonesia’s electricity supply,” said IFC Indonesia Country Manager Sarvesh Suri. “Affordable hydropower will help Indonesia meet its growing demand for reliable power to support development.”
Indonesia, which has a young population that is the fourth-largest in the world, has been undergoing rapid urbanization with rising power needs. The development of hydropower has huge potential in the country as only 11 percent of its electricity was generated by hydropower in 2012.
BDSN’s principal shareholders are Singapore-based Fareast Green Energy Pte. Ltd. and PT Pembangkitan Jawa Bali (PJB), a subsidiary of PT PLN (Persero), Indonesia’s state-owned electric utility company and a key stakeholder in BDSN since its inception.
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. In FY14, IFC provided more than $22 billion in financing to developing countries.
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