Seven-year RUB loan equivalent to EUR 20 million for energy service company FENICE RUS

Author(s):    Richard Wallis
Date:    30 January 2013

A specialised company which became the first in Russia to implement a major energy efficiency project for industry, on the basis of an innovative contractual model, has received a seven-year EBRD local currency loan equivalent to EUR 20 million to help it spread the concept throughout the country.

The borrower is FENICE RUS LLC, an energy service company (ESCO) established in Russia in 2009 by EDF Fenice, Italy, a provider of energy, environmental and energy efficiency services which is ultimately controlled by France’s EDF Group.

FENICE RUS operates on the basis of long-term energy performance contracts under which it designs, finances and implements measures needed to make its client’s operations more energy efficient in order to reduce energy costs. It then gets repaid from a share of the client’s metered energy savings, once the modernized assets are in operation and savings have been achieved.

The fact that the financial benefits from the energy savings achieved by FENICE RUS are shared between the client and the energy service company provides an additional incentive for both to maximise energy and cost savings.

“Energy performance contracting is an effective solution for clients as it allows them to modernise equipment, as well as reduce energy and maintenance bills without making costly investments themselves,” says Vincent De Rul, the General Director of FENICE RUS.

“FENICE RUS is the first ESCO in Russia to operate on a fully commercial basis, assuming all investment and performance risks and this is why the EBRD is ready to back it financially and promote the viability of a business model designed to appeal to many industrial plants in Russia,” said Terence McCallion, the Director of the Bank’s Energy Efficiency and Climate Change team.

“Few local financial institutions are familiar with the ESCO model, which is still at an early stage of development in Russia, and loans of over five years are not readily available in the country, hence the additional need for an institution such as the EBRD to step in,” said Lindsay Forbes, the EBRD’s Director for Industry, Commerce and Agribusiness for Russia.

The proceeds of the loan will be used by FENICE RUS to fund the investments it will have to make under energy performance contracts with Russian industrial clients.

These contracts mainly target clients’ auxiliary plant systems, such as compressed air, lighting, heat supply systems, water treatment and distribution systems, which commonly require upgrades and provide the highest potential for energy savings.

FENICE RUS delivers turn-key solutions tailored to the needs of its clients, as opposed to promoting any specific technology or systems. In addition, FENICE RUS continues to maintain and operate the equipment for the duration of the contract.  

The company has already successfully implemented three such projects with Russian car manufacturer AvtoVaz, enabling the company to save over USD nine million a year on energy.

This partnership is in line with the Bank’s newly adopted Country Strategy for Russia, which places an important emphasis on promoting energy efficiency. Since the launch of its Sustainable Energy Initiative in 2006, the Bank has invested over €2.4 billion in energy efficiency projects in Russia, resulting in annual CO2 reductions of over 18.1 million tonnes per year.

For more information on FENICE RUS LLC please contact Yulia Vorontsova at +7 495 781 9335 or yulia.vorontsova@fenicespa.com
 
Source:ebrd.com