Active Development AidData Chinese Aid

China Eximbank provides RMB 400 million government concessional loan for 147MW Adjarala Hydroelectric Power Plant Project (Linked to Record ID#2170, #58674, #68762)

¥400M RMB

Funder	Export-Import Bank of China (China Eximbank)
Recipient Organization	Government of Benin
Country	Benin
Start Date	Jul 12, 2016
End Date	Aug 28, 2028
Duration	4,430 days
Number of Grantees	1
Roles	Recipient
Data Source	AidData Chinese Aid
Grant ID	`58671`

Grant Description

China Eximbank provides RMB 400 million government concessional loan for 147MW Adjarala Hydroelectric Power Plant Project On December 15, 2015, China Eximbank and the Government of Benin signed a $211.31 million preferential buyer’s credit (PBC) agreement for the Adjarala Hydroelectric Power Plant Project.

📋 Loan / Grant Terms

📅 Maturity20 years

⏳ Grace Period7 years

💹 Interest Rate2%

Then, on July 12, 2016, China Eximbank and the Government of Benin signed an RMB 400 million government concessional loan (GCL) agreement for the Adjarala Hydroelectric Power Plant Project.

📋 Loan / Grant Terms

📅 Maturity20 years

⏳ Grace Period7 years

💹 Interest Rate2%

China Eximbank also signed an RMB 250 million ($61 million) loan agreement with the Government of Togo on May 23, 2016 for the Adjarala Hydroelectric Power Plant Project. The PBC is captured via Record ID#58674, and the GCL is captured vis Record ID#58671. The loan issued to the Government of Togo is captured in Record ID#68762.

The proceeds from these three loans are to be used by the borrowers to finance a FCFA 265,814,526,897 commercial contract between la Communauté Electrique du Bénin (CEB) and Sinohydro, which was signed on April 25, 2014.

This project involves the construction of a dam in Adjarala, which is located approximately 100 km downstream of the 65MW Nangbéto hydropower plant on the Mono River. The dam will stand 40 meters tall, with a 3.7 long kilometer reservoir.

The project also involves the construction of 252 kilometers of 161 KV high voltage power transmission lines, water diversion systems, plants, access roads and other ancillary facilities.

The ultimate objective of the project is to strengthen regional energy interconnection and alleviate electric power shortages in Benin and Togo. Sinohydro is the contractor responsible for implementation. A groundbreaking ceremony took place on December 26, 2015.

Then, in December 2016, the project was suspended after the Togolese Minister of Economy and Finance announced that there were insufficient financial resources to complete the project. The project resumed in January 2017, and as of September 2017 it was still under construction. It is expected to reach completion by 2020.

📋 Staff Comments

This project is also known as the 3x49MW Adjarala Hydroelectric Power Plant Project. The Chinese project title is 阿贾哈拉水电站项目 or 貝寧--多哥阿賈哈拉水電站項目. The French project title is Aménagement hydroélectrique d’Adjarala or Projet d'aménagement du barrage hydroélectrique d'Adjarala.
In the database of Chinese loan commitments that SAIS-CARI released in July 2020, it identifies a single $229 million “concessional loan” from China Eximbank to the Government of Benin for this project. However, the Government of Benin’s Caisse Autonome d'Amortissement (CAA) records two separate loans from China Eximbank: a $211.31 million preferential buyer’s credit and an RMB 400 million government concessional loan. These two loans were independently ratified by Benin’s Parliament, and in May 2018 email correspondence with AidData’s Executive Director, the Coordinator of the IMF Program in Benin’s Ministry of Economy and Finance confirmed the receipt of two separate China Eximbank loans for the 147MW Adjarala Hydroelectric Power Plant Project. AidData relies on the data published by CAA.

📚 Sources & References

Infrastructure Financing Trends in Africa – 2016
China to lend Benin $270 million to develop Adjarala hydropower dam, 2014 & 2015 China Information Sheet
Togo and Benin pin energy hopes on this controversial dam
Domestic politics, foreign affairs, socio-economic development
Togo : the energy sector is positioning itself
RAPPORT SUR LA GESTION DE LA DETTE PUBLIQUE AU TITRE DE L’ANNEE 2016
PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID) CONCEPT STAGE
Demande de liste de prêts des institutions gouvernementales chinoises
金融时报：“点亮”中非合作新未来进出口银行“两融”并举提升非洲国家“造血”能力
Projets de Production
Les présidents béninois et togolais posent la première pierre de l'aménagement hydroélectrique d'Adjarala
REPERTOIRE DES LOIS VOTEES DES 1 ère, 2ème , 3 ème, 4ème, 5ème, 6ème, 7 ème LEGISLATURES
刘豫锡大使出席阿贾哈拉水电站项目奠基仪式
Performance through 35 years of professional experience
REPERTOIRE DES LOIS VOTEES EN 2015
贝宁－多哥阿贾哈拉水电站项目奠基仪式隆重举行
Staff Report for Article IV Consultation
Liste de prêts des institutions gouvernementales chinoises de 2000 à 2017
刁鸣生大使出席阿贾哈拉水电站项目奠基仪式
驻贝宁大使刁鸣生在阿贾哈拉电站项目启动仪式上的讲话
Discours de l' Ambassadeur lors de la cérémonie de pose de la première pierre du projet d'Adjarala
Chinese Loans to Africa Database
BU_PITCH_ENGLISH_2018
POSE DE LA 1ère PIERRE DE L'AMENAGEMENT HYDROELECTRIQUE D’ADJARALA, 147 MW Adjarala Hydropower Project
Rapport sur la gestion de la dette publique au titre de l'annee 2016 Loan applications and disbursements are still being received and processed as the projects continue to evolve. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation are in place to ensure project continuity.

All Grantees

Government of Benin

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