Completed Mixed AidData Chinese Aid

China Eximbank provides $321.3 million preferential buyer’s credit for 427MW Bereza Combined Cycle Power Plant Reconstruction Project (Linked to Record ID#42199, #42214 and #66982)

$321.3M USD

Funder	Export-Import Bank of China (China Eximbank)
Recipient Organization	Government of Belarus
Country	Belarus
Start Date	Dec 22, 2010
End Date	Nov 28, 2026
Duration	5,820 days
Number of Grantees	1
Roles	Recipient
Data Source	AidData Chinese Aid
Grant ID	`66983`

Grant Description

China Eximbank provides $321.3 million preferential buyer’s credit for 427MW Bereza Combined Cycle Power Plant Reconstruction Project On December 22, 2010, China Eximbank and the Government of Belarus signed a $321,300,000 preferential buyer’s credit (PBC) agreement [CHINA EXIMBANK No. PBC (2010) 33 (140)] for the 427MW Bereza Combined Cycle Power Plant Reconstruction Project.

📋 Loan / Grant Terms

📅 Maturity15 years

⏳ Grace Period5 years

💹 Interest Rate3%

The Government of Belarus on-lent the proceeds of the PBC to a state-owned energy company called RUE Brestenergo.

RUE Brestenergo then used the proceeds of the PBC to finance 85% of the cost ($378 million) of a commercial (EPC) contract [№ 200050653100001] that it signed with China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) on September 21, 2010.

The purpose of the project was to install a gas-steam combined cycle unit (CCU) at the Bereza power plant in Beloozersk (White Lake) in the Brest Region of Belarus. This plant generates approximately 10% of the country’s total power output. CMEC was the EPC contractor responsible for implementation.

The project commenced in September 2011 and it was completed in March 2014 (78 days ahead of schedule).

Then, on April 14, 2014, the CMEC and the state-owned Brest Energy Company of Belarus signed a project completion certificate.

📋 Staff Comments

This project is also known as the 427MW Berezov Combined Cycle Power Plant Reconstruction Project, the Berezov Power Station Expansion Project, the 427MW Berezovskaya Combined Cycle Power Plant Reconstruction Project, and the CCGT-400 MW at Berezovskaya Power Plant Construction Project. The Chinese project title is 白俄别列佐夫联合循环电站项目 or 别列佐夫427MW联合循环电站总. The Russian project title is Берёзовская ГРЭС or проекта «Строительство ПГУ-400 МВт на Березовской ГРЭС» or Строительство ПГУ-400 МВт на Березовской ГРЭС РУП Брестэнерго or «Строительство ПГУ-400 МВт на Березовской ГРЭС». РУП «Брестэнерго».
In the Overseas Development Finance Dataset that Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center published in December 2020, it identifies the face value of the China Eximbank loan that supported this project as $378 million. AidData relies on the face value of the loan ($321,300,000) that is reported by the borrower (the Government of Belarus). $378 million reflects the cost of the commercial contract and the China Eximbank PBC was used to finance 85% of the cost of this contract.

📚 Sources & References

Об утверждении перечня финансируемых за счет внешних государственных займов и внешних займов, привлеченных под гарантии Правительства Республики Беларусь, инвестиционных проектов и предназначенных для реализации таких проектов технологического оборудования и запасных частей к нему, которые при ввозе на территорию Республики Беларусь освобождаются от таможенных пошлин и налога на добавленную стоимость, 2013 China Machinery Engineering Corporation Social Responsibility Report
Chinese CCGT construction contractor to be exempt from VAT, ПЕРЕЧЕНЬвнешних государственных займов, обслуживание и погашение которых осуществляются с привлечением средств республиканского бюджета ( LIST of external government loans, servicing and repayment of which are carried out with the involvement of funds from the republican budget)
CMEC白俄别列佐夫联合循环电站项目荣膺2015年度境外工程鲁班奖
Bereza SDPP Thermal Power Plant Belarus is located at East if Brest
Belarus. Location coordinates are: Latitude= 52.4538
Longitude= 25.1926. This infrastructure is of TYPE Gas Power Plant with a design capacity of 1130 MWe. It has 6 unit(s). The first unit was commissioned in 1961 and the last in 1967. It is operated by RUE Brestenergo., Постановление Совета Министров Республики Беларусь от 31.12.2010 № 1942 'О некоторых вопросах реализации соглашений с Экспортно-импортным банком Китая', ПОСТАНОВЛЕНИЕ СОВЕТА МИНИСТРОВ РЕСПУБЛИКИ БЕЛАРУСЬ 4 мая 2009 г. No 572
Volume of Chinese investment in Belarusian energy system will reach $3 bln - ministry
我企业在白实施的投资和贷款项目入选2015年中国建设工程鲁班奖（境外工程）
China's Overseas Development Finance
BU_PITCH_ENGLISH_2019-clean5.xlsx 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.