Page 2 - Green Financing

NLCIL incorporates wholly-owned arm NIGEL for commissioning green projects

NLC India Ltd on Monday said it has incorporated a wholly owned arm NLC India Green Energy Ltd (NIGEL) for commissioning of green projects. NIGEL will take care of planning, participating in upcoming renewable energy tenders, execution and commissioning of green energy projects, NLC India Ltd (NLCIL) said in a statement. The arm is likely to achieve 5 GW capacity by 2030 and contribute for carbon emission reduction, NLCIL Chairman and Managing Director Prasanna Kumar Motupalli said. The navratna public sector undertaking has already incorporated a wholly owned arm NLC India Renewables Ltd for asset monetisation. At present, 2 GW of renewable energy projects are under implementation and will be taken up by NIGEL, including 600 MW solar power project in Gujarat and 810 MW solar photovoltaic power project in Rajasthan. The company's registered office is in Chennai and will start business operations in due course, as per the statement.

SBI borrowers to get special credits for green initiatives: Chairman

State Bank of India is working out the risk matrix for its borrowers wherein it gives some special credits for those embarking on green initiatives, Chairman Dinesh Khara said here on Monday. Since recently, the nation's largest lender has also been measuring the carbon footprint of its Rs 33-lakh crore portfolio at the account level in an attempt to mitigate climate risks and provide sustainable financing, he said. At the bank level we have started working out the risk matrix of our borrowers wherein we give some special credits to those embarking on green initiatives, the chairman said at a Ficci event here. However, he did not elaborate. Khara, who has been warning against green-washing, also called for better project reports for green financing so that the information asymmetry that plagues the green funding space can be mitigated. He also stressed on the need for a policy framework to promote the awareness on green finance ecosystem. There is a need for the chartered accoun

GreenCell, SCB ink green financing deal for Surat E-Mobility project

Electric mobility player GreenCell Mobility on Thursday said it has signed a green financing deal with Standard Chartered Bank for its Rs 125-crore Surat E-Mobility project. Surat E-Mobility project consists of 150 electric buses in Gujarat and aims to reduce 1 lakh tonne of CO2 emissions over the project lifetime, the company said in a statement. "GreenCell has availed green loan by the leading global bank, Standard Chartered Bank, in a significant move to step up our efforts towards transforming India's electric transportation landscape. "The green financing secured for our project will not only boost our operations but also reaffirm our leadership in the e-mobility sector in India," GreenCell Mobility CEO and Managing Director Devndra Chawla said. The company claimed that this is the first green loan project finance facility for an e-mobility project in India and globally by the Standard Chartered Bank. "We are delighted to support GreenCell Mobility on this landmark financing,

Refex group expands Green Mobility business, to add 10,000 EVs in 3 years

The city-based Refex group engaged in diverse businesses has expanded its Green Mobility vertical here, a top official said on Monday. The company had launched the Refex Green Mobility Ltd business in Bengaluru in March this year and has now forayed into the Tamil Nadu market, Refex Group Managing Director Anil Jain said. According to him, the company currently has 497 electric vehicles, nine clients including one in Chennai and engaged in discussions with 30 other customers under the Green Mobility vertical. Jain, in an interaction with PTI said, the company serves clients in the transportation of their employees from office to residence or residence to office with battery operated vehicles as against the earlier mode of transport which is on vehicles run on internal combustion engine (ICE). "We are an employee transportation company catering to B2B (business to business). We want to cater to corporates across India. We started the operations in Bengaluru in March, now we have ...

Green funding: SBI to bundle home loans with rooftop solar installations

The country's largest lender SBI plans to bundle and make home loans with rooftop solar installations mandatory for residential projects funded from the bank's long term climate action funds drawn down from multilateral agencies. The SBI, which has a home loan book of over Rs 6.3 lakh crore as of June, has outstanding forex loans of USD 2.3 billion from multilateral lenders, including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and KfW of Germany. "We are planning to make it mandatory for builders to make rooftop solar installations if the project is funded from our green funds," Ashwini Kumar Tewari, a Managing Director in charge of international banking, information technology and associates & subsidiaries at SBI, said. "We are, in fact, planning to make it a bundled deal for home loan applicants going forward," Tewari told reporters here on Thursday on the sidelines of the final day of the global SME summit organised by Sidbi. These loans come with 10-year or 20-year tenors ...

ADB commits concessional loan to India under Green Financing facility

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Sunday assured India to provide concessional loans under the Green Financing facility to help in achieving its vision. ADB President Masasugu Asakawa, who is in Delhi to attend the G20 Leaders' Summit, on Sunday met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. During the bilateral meeting, both discussed the outcome of G20 India Presidency and ADB contribution to G20 work streams under the Finance Track as well as the Sherpa Track. Asakawa appreciated the Indian Presidency's efforts towards realising the agenda of 'One Earth, One Family, One Future', the finance ministry said in a post on X. "Mr. Asakawa @ADBPresident reiterated that @ADB_HQ aims to be the climate bank for the Asia and Pacific and committed that a #GreenFinancing facility is being developed by @ADB_HQ for providing concessional finance for India to realise this vision," it said. During the meeting, the Finance Minister mentioned that the role of all MDBs, including ADB, in the preparati

Central banks need to incorporate climate-related risks: RBI dy guv

Central banks need to incorporate climate-related risks into their supervisory frameworks in order to contribute to the development of frameworks and standards for green finance, said RBI Deputy Governor M Rajeshwar Rao. Participating in a panel discussion on 'Climate Implications for Central Banking', he stressed that financing the new green ventures alone will not be enough and there is a need for credible transition plans for existing emitting firms without compromising their output or growth. "For this to materialise, central banks can incorporate climate-related risks into their supervisory frameworks and can contribute to the development of frameworks and standards for green finance. These frameworks can help promote transparency, standardization, and integrity in the green finance market," he said. On Tuesday RBI released the remarks of Rao at the panel discussion organised by the IMF and Center for Social and Economic Forum on July 19 in New Delhi. The deputy governor furth

Climate change: It's all about money

Down to earth

JSW Cement signs $50 mn green loan agreement with French lender BNP Paribas

JSW Cement has signed a sustainability-linked loan agreement with the domestic arm of French lender BNP Paribas to raise USD 50 million or about Rs 414 crore in debt capital. This is JSW Cement's second green debt capital taking the total sustainability-linked funding to USD 100 million now, the company said in a statement. The company plans to use the money to fund its capacity expansion in line with its long-term target of achieving 50 mtpa capacity. According to Parth Jindal, the managing director of JSW Cement, the second green loan comes within six months of availing the first such loan. He said the company has increased its production capacity four times in the past eight years, but has reduced the carbon emission intensity by half during this period and that the latest green loan underscores their continued commitment to Environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals.

RBI, green finance and the blue planet: How are banks placed in all this?

The central bank's report seeks to nudge banks and financial institutions to catalyse risk mitigation from climate change

India's green financing requirement estimated at 2.5% of GDP: RBI Study

India's green financing requirement is estimated to be at least 2.5 per cent of GDP annually till 2030, a Reserve Bank report said on Wednesday. The country aims to achieve net zero emissions target by 2070. The Reserve Bank of India's report on Currency and Finance (RCF) for the year 2022-23 covers four major dimensions of climate change to assess future challenges to sustainable high growth in India. The areas are the unprecedented scale and pace of climate change; its macroeconomic effects; implications for financial stability; and policy options to mitigate climate risks. The country's goal of achieving the net zero target by 2070 would require an accelerated reduction in the energy intensity of GDP by around 5 per cent annually and a significant improvement in its energy-mix in favour of renewables to around 80 per cent by 2070-71, it said. "India's green financing requirement is estimated to be at least 2.5 per cent of GDP annually till 2030," the report said. According to

India cenbank puts in place framework for acceptance of green deposits

RBIndia is putting in place a framework for the acceptance of green deposits to foster and develop an environment-friendly finance ecosystem in the country, which will come into effect from June 1

UK learning from India's work in financial inclusion: London Lord Mayor

Scope for UK green finance investments in India, says Nicholas Lyons

EU closer to end trade dispute with US, moves on Green Deal funds

The European Union moved closer to ending a trade dispute with US President Joe Biden on Wednesday following months of wrangling over the billions of America-first incentives in his clean technology plans and said it would ramp up a similar subsidy-laden effort at home. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the parliament plenary that in its attempt to produce at least 40 per cent of the clean tech needed by 2030 in the 27-nation bloc, it would allow for the tax breaks and the flexible use of EU funds on top of simplifying and speeding up industrial approvals. She spoke of a striking symmetry between the US efforts and the European Green Deal plans. Both of them are simultaneously a climate strategy and a strategy for investment and growth, von der Leyen said. Her upbeat comments came on the eve of the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, tabling plans for the Net-Zero Industry Act on industrial incentives and a Critical Raw Materials Act, which seeks to .

Green finance: Taxonomy, a clear legal definition keenly awaited

Even as the central bank is drawing up taxonomy for this emerging business, the degree of awareness at bank board level could be the weakest link yet

We will look at a wider spectrum of Green economy companies: Renuka Ramnath

Consistent with that strategy, we feel that "clean mobility" is going to be a space that will create growth

Rehaul rules to improve financing Indian green projects: Fitch unit

In a report listing steps to revise the framework, the unit of Fitch Ratings said implementing public-sector credit guarantees would help lower financing costs

How financial reforms can quicken pace for India to become a $5-trn economy

In the Union Budget for FY22, no funds were earmarked for recapitalising state-run banks. This was a decadal first, and will temper their eagerness to lend

Govt to finance green bond projects and initiatives under 9 categories

Proceeds will be deposited in the Consolidated Fund of India

Revfin raises $10 mn in series A funding from Green Frontier Capital

Revfin plans to use the funds to expand its geographical footprint to 25 states and capture over 10 per cent national market share of financed electric three-wheelers