Financing closed for Merritt Green Energy Project in British Columbia

Merritt Green Energy Limited Partnership has closed on its financing for the Merritt Green Energy Project, a CAD$235 million, 40 MW, state-of-the-art, biomass-fired electricity generation facility located in Merritt, British Columbia, Canada.

The project will sell power under a 30-year electricity purchase agreement to BC Hydro and, with financing in place, has now moved into its construction phase with commercial operation expected in October 2016.

Merritt Green Energy Project’s developers and equity investors are Fengate Capital Management Ltd.and Dalkia Canada Inc.

Project debt financing of CAD$180 million was sourced from five project finance banks: Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (Coordinating Bank), Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, National Bank of Canada (Administrative Agent), Natixis and Rabobank.

The Merritt Green Energy Project is the second biomass plant project being developed in British Columbia byDalkia and Fengate. In November 2013, they announced the financial close on the CAD$235 million, 40 MW Fort St. James Green Energy Project, which is expected to begin operations in July 2016. Dalkia and Fengatehave now invested CAD$470 million in the province on green energy projects.

The Merritt Green Energy Project will consume approximately 200,000 tonnes (dry) of biomass fuel, mostly sawmill waste, annually to generate more than 285,000 MWh of renewable electricity, enough to power more than 40,000 homes for a year. Fuel will be sourced from local saw mill waste. The plant will use state-of-the-art emissions reduction equipment.

The facility will be operated by Dalkia under a long-term operations and maintenance agreement. Fuel will be provided by local partners, including Tolko Industries, under a long-term fuel supply agreement.

Fadi Oubari, Vice President and head of development and western operations for Dalkia Canada, staed:

B.C.’s economic future is bright and will require additional power, and we are excited to be part of the province’s burgeoning green energy sector.We look forward to working with the community of Merritt, our supply partners and First Nations on building this plant and generating green energy for British Columbians.

George Theodoropoulos, Managing Director of Fengate Capital Management, commented:

The potential for generating green energy from wood waste is significant in British Columbia, which is why we are investing in this sector. Both the Merritt and Fort St. James Green Energy Projects will provide reliable green energy to BC Hydro and create employment opportunities in both regions.