London—Dentons is providing legal advice to the International Finance Corporation (IFC) on the implementation of its Scaling Solar Program in Ethiopia. The program will support the local power utility, Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), in the tender process to choose private sector partners to deliver 250MW of solar photovoltaic projects, as one of the first public-private partnerships in the country.

The Scaling Solar Program aims to unlock investment in emerging market solar power. The “one stop shop” initiative looks to help countries secure privately funded grid-connected solar projects at competitive tariffs, with the support of the World Bank Group. Ethiopia became the fourth country in Africa to join Scaling Solar (after Senegal, Zambia and Madagascar) when EEP signed an agreement with the International Finance Corporation to advise on developing up to 500MW of solar power.

In October 2017, EEP launched a tender for the development of two solar photovoltaic projects, each with a capacity of 125MW. The deadline for applications is 21 November 2017.

Dentons is providing legal advice on the entire procurement process including due diligence, transaction support and preparing project documents (including the power purchase agreement and government support agreement).

Lucille De Silva, partner in Dentons' Energy team and lead legal adviser on the project, said, "This is a very significant project for Ethiopia, and we are delighted to be involved in it right from the start. Solar power is leading the way in the electrification of Africa and other emerging markets and it's crucial that a rigorous procurement process, such as the Scaling Solar Program, is undertaken to ensure the best private sector partner is selected."

In addition to Lucille De Silva, associate Daniel Saville is also advising the IFC.

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