Finance

IEX Q4 FY21 Results: ‘Unprecedented Performance’; Rs 100 Cr Revenues

An announcement revealed yesterday that Denmark’s state-owned fund IFU and United Nations Office for Project Services’ S3i have acquired 39% and 10% stake respectively in Acme Solar Holdings Ltd’s 250 MW solar project in Rajasthan.

Acme Solar, a leading Solar IPP in India, holds the majority 51% stake in the project, which has a total investment requirement of euro 150 million and was awarded by staterun Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI). Once in operation, the solar plant is expected to provide clean electricity to the equivalent of 500,000 households. It is also estimated that the project will create some 225 jobs in the construction phase, and 75 jobs while the plant is in operation. Myra structured the transaction.

In addition to its equity investment, S3i will be playing an operational role in the project with a major emphasis on social impact measurement. The total value of the project is the equivalent of just under US $200 million, of which about a quarter is financed through the medium of equity contributions by three co investors with UNOPS’ share being 10 per cent.

“Providing clean and green power is at the forefront of global commitments to address climate change. We need an urgent transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. UNOPS are proud to support India’s climate targets and all of the partners in this landmark renewable energy project” said Grete Faremo, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNOPS Executive Director. “We are delighted to have had this opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to the government and people of India and show that we care and are willing to take risks while the country is working so hard to combat the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.” said Vitaly Vanshelboim, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Chief Executive of Sustainable Investments in Infrastructure and Innovation (S3i).

“This is a historic partnership agreement and we are very excited to have UNOPS S3i and IFU as our partners and co-investors in India for the development of solar projects. ACME will jointly develop world-class solar plants using the experiences of our partners in social impact measurement while optimizing operations and energy generation.” said Manoj Upadhyay, Founder and Chairman, ACME Group.

It is estimated that reaching the SDGs by the year 2030 would require an additional five to seven trillion US dollars’ worth of investments. SDG goal number seven sets out the promotion of investments in energy infrastructure and clean technologies, targeting increased access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

While there’s been great improvement in access to electricity across the world, much more needs to be done to improve access to clean, safe and sustainable energy for 2.8 billion underserved people. More than 60 per cent of India’s energy is produced with fossil fuels. With the growing population and rapid urbanization further increasing demand for electricity, the Indian government has made renewable energy a high priority.

Hyundai Motor Group to Invest $7.4 billion in U.S. EV industry by 2025

In a press release dated May 14, 2021, Hyundai Motor Group (HMG), comprising Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation, announced its plan to invest $7.4 billion in the U.S. by 2025 to produce future EVs, enhance production facilities and further its investments in smart mobility solutions. The group’s investment will enhance overall product competitiveness by prioritising future mobility technologies, including electrification and hydrogen energy.

The Seoul-headquartered global automotive manufacturer will invest in growing its EV manufacturing footprint to scale production and satisfy U.S. market demands, as well as monitor the market conditions and U.S. government EV policy to finalise its plan to enhance its U.S. production facilities and gradually expand its local EV production. Hyundai Motor will offer a suite of American-made electric vehicles to U.S. consumers starting next year.

HMG also states that it is committed to fostering a hydrogen society to create new business opportunities for a sustainable future, and will expand the U.S. hydrogen ecosystem in collaboration with local private and public partners. The group signed an MOU with the U.S. Department of Energy in February 2020 to cooperate in hydrogen fuel cell technology innovation and global expansion. This included the installation of a hydrogen refuelling station and providing NEXO SUVs.

U.S. President Joe Biden, who has recently called for $174 billion in new spending to boost electric vehicles and charging, is scheduled to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Washington next week to talk about North Korea, COVID-19 vaccines, and other issues. HMG’s new announcement about investing in EV deployment in the US certainly comes at an interesting time.

ArcelorMittal Invests $10 M in RE Tech Company Heliogen

ArcelorMittal S.A., a Luxembourgish multinational steel manufacturing corporation headquartered in Luxembourg City, announced yesterday its initial investment of $10 million in US renewable energy technology company Heliogen, marking the completion of the steel producer's first XCarb™ innovation fund investment since launching the initiative in March 2021.

Heliogen’s technology will harness solar energy by using a field of mirrors which will act as a multi-acre magnifying glass to concentrate and capture sunlight. The sunlight will then be subsequently converted into heat (HelioHeat™), electricity (HelioPower™) or clean fuels (HelioFuel™). The company aims to ‘unlock the power of sunlight to replace fossil fuels’.

All three Heliogen products have the potential to be applicable to the steelmaking process and support the steel industry’s transition to carbon-neutrality. HelioHeat™, for example, could be used to increase the temperature of air blown into a blast furnace, offsetting the use of fossil fuel. The Heliogen technology will also be capable of creating 100 per cent green hydrogen, which Heliogen is working to develop as its first HelioFuel™. Hydrogen sits at the heart of ArcelorMittal’s Innovative-DRI technology pathway, which involves using hydrogen instead of natural gas as the reductant in the production of direct reduced iron.

In addition to the $10 million investment, ArcelorMittal and Heliogen have signed a Memorandum of Understanding which aims to evaluate the potential of Heliogen’s products in several of ArcelorMittal’s steel plants.

Commenting, Pinakin Chaubal, Chief Technology Officer, ArcelorMittal, said, “The partnership we have established with Heliogen goes beyond investment. The MoU we have signed means we are actively exploring working with them to deploy their technologies in our steel plants, enhancing our ongoing programme of decarbonisation initiatives. Establishing partnerships of this kind has an important role to play in ensuring we succeed in our ambition to lead our industry’s efforts to decarbonise, and reach carbon-neutrality by 2050.”

Bill Gross, CEO and Founder, Heliogen, added, “We’re also excited to begin working with ArcelorMittal to explore how our technology can support its significant decarbonization efforts. Heliogen’s Sunlight Refinery™, which will cost-effectively deliver 24/7 carbon-free energy in the form of heat, electricity, or hydrogen fuels at scale for the first time in history, was designed for use by a spectrum of industries, including steel. Together, ArcelorMittal and Heliogen can meaningfully help the world achieve carbon neutrality.”

ADB Supports India’s Covid-19 Response Through Record Annual Lending

Manila-headquartered Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently revealed that it has committed $3.92 billion in sovereign loans for 13 projects to India in 2020, including $1.8 billion in projects to support the Government of India’s coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic response. This is ADB’s highest-ever annual lending commitment to India since the start of its lending operations in 1986. ADB, also committed $356.1 million through its nonsovereign operations to India, including three COVID-19 support projects. As part of its pandemic support to India, ADB provided emergency assistance to contain the disease and establish social protection measures for relief to the poor and other vulnerable groups. The bank also approved financing to help the government improve equitable access to comprehensive primary health care in urban areas. The bank has said that throughout 2020, it continued its regular assistance to energy, transport, urban development, and public sector management in India. Among the new projects committed in 2020 included $500 million to build a modern, highspeed 82-kilometer Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit system corridor; energy sector loans to strengthen distribution network in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Meghalaya; and to build a 120-megawatt hydroelectric power plant in Assam. In the urban sector, ADB approved loans for sustainable urban development in secondary and smaller towns in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

The bank also committed funds to support the Government of West Bengal’s fiscal consolidation program. Through its project readiness financing, it committed funds to provide Tripura and Himachal Pradesh with capacity development support for planning and designing.