Copel gets US$73m financing from BNDES for wind project

Brazil's Development Bank (BNDES) has provided financing to Companhia Paranaense de Energia (Copel) to support the 183.6 MW Brisa Potiguar Wind Complex project in Brazil.

This support will be carried out through a private placement of debentures, which will be subscribed by the BNDES and BNDES Participacoes S.A. (BNDESPar). The debentures will be divided into two series, one pegged to the TJLP long-term interest rate and the other to the IPCA index. The operation follows BNDES’ loans characteristics and has a 16-year term, with a six-month grace period and monthly amortizations.

Located in Rio Grande do Norte state, the complex in made up seven wind farms, all of which have reached commercial operations in 2015. The complex comprises 68 wind turbines with 2.7 MW each, which have been provided by Alstom.

Copel is a state-owned electric energy firm that serves over 4.3mn clients across 394 municipalities in Paraná state and the Porto União municipality in Santa Catarina state. The firm has an installed capacity of 4,754 MW generated from its 18 hydroelectric plants, seven wind farms, and one thermoelectric plant.