Canadian Solar Signs a Total of 862 MWp in Solar PPA with BTG and Auction with Furnas in Brazil

Rhea-AI Summary

Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ) announced a significant advancement in its solar project portfolio, securing a power purchase agreement (PPA) with BTG Pactual for a 170 MWp solar project in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Additionally, the company won two projects totaling 692 MWp through a private auction with Furnas Centrais Elétricas. Construction is slated to begin in 2021 for the BTG project and 2022 for Furnas projects, with commercial operation expected by end of 2022 and end of 2023 respectively. This deal boosts Canadian Solar's project backlog in Brazil to nearly 2.2 GWp.

Positive

• Secured a 170 MWp PPA with BTG Pactual in Brazil.
• Awarded two projects totaling 692 MWp from Furnas, enhancing market position.
• Total solar projects secured in this deal are the largest in company's history.
• Increases backlog of solar projects in Brazil to almost 2.2 GWp.

Negative

• None.

GUELPH, ON, Nov. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Canadian Solar Inc. (the "Company", or "Canadian Solar") (NASDAQ: CSIQ), one of the world's largest solar power companies, announced that it recently signed a power purchase agreement ("PPA") with BTG Pactual ("BTG", B3: BPAC11) and that it was awarded with two projects in a private auction by Furnas Centrais Elétricas ("Furnas") for a total of 862 MWp in solar power projects in Brazil.

For the 12-year PPA with BTG, Canadian Solar will supply solar energy from a 170 MWp cluster of projects located in the State of Minas Gerais. The projects will start construction in 2021 and are expected to achieve commercial operation by the end of 2022. BTG is one of the main investment banks in Latin America and runs one of the largest energy trading businesses in Brazil.

Furnas will purchase solar energy from two Canadian Solar projects through a 15-year PPA. Canadian Solar will develop and build both Furnas projects totalling 692 MWp. One of them, will be located in the State of Ceará and will have a capacity of 260 MWp. The second project is located in the State of Piuaí and will have a capacity of 432 MWp. Both projects will start construction in 2022 and are expected to reach commercial operation by the end of 2023.

Furnas is a majority-controlled subsidiary of Centrais Elétricas Brasileiras S.A. – Eletrobras ("Eletrobras", NYSE: EBR). Furnas' business is mainly in energy generation, transmission and sales. It operates in 16 Brazilian states and is the owner of 21 hydro plants, 2 thermal plants, 1 wind farm and 30,000 kilometers of transmission lines. 

Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar, commented, "We are pleased to partner with BTG and Furnas to deliver clean solar energy to Brazilian consumers. I am also proud of our team's great work in expanding our leadership position in the solar project development market in Brazil. After the 274 MWp in corporate PPAs that we signed earlier in June, the volume of projects secured in this PPA and auction is the largest in Canadian Solar's history, and it increases our backlog of solar projects in Brazil with PPAs (or equivalent) to almost 2.2 GWp."

"We are also making good progress on our project monetization strategy in Brazil, where we are in the process of forming a Brazilian Participation Fund for Infrastructure projects, or FIP-IE, which is on track to launch in 2021. This will help accelerate our growth in the Brazilian market as we optimize our capital allocation. More updates to come."

All projects will use Canadian Solar's latest, high power series 7 bifacial modules of up to 665 Wp.

About Canadian Solar Inc.

Canadian Solar was founded in 2001 in Canada and is one of the world's largest solar power companies. It is a leading manufacturer of solar photovoltaic modules and provider of solar energy solutions and has a geographically diversified pipeline of utility-scale solar power projects in various stages of development. Over the past 19 years, Canadian Solar has successfully delivered over 49 GW of premium-quality, solar photovoltaic modules to customers in over 150 countries. Canadian Solar is one of the most bankable companies in the solar industry, having been publicly listed on NASDAQ since 2006. For additional information about the Company, follow Canadian Solar on LinkedIn or visit www.canadiansolar.com.

Safe Harbor/Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These statements are made under the "Safe Harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by such terms as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "estimates," the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include general business and economic conditions and the state of the solar industry; governmental support for the deployment of solar power; future available supplies of high-purity silicon; demand for end-use products by consumers and inventory levels of such products in the supply chain; changes in demand from significant customers; changes in demand from major markets such as Japan, the U.S., India and China; changes in customer order patterns; changes in product mix; capacity utilization; level of competition; pricing pressure and declines in average selling prices; delays in new product introduction; delays in utility-scale project approval process; delays in utility-scale project construction; delays in the completion of project sales; delays in the process of qualifying to list the MSS subsidiary in the PRC; continued success in technological innovations and delivery of products with the features customers demand; shortage in supply of materials or capacity requirements; availability of financing; exchange rate fluctuations; litigation and other risks as described in the Company's SEC filings, including its annual report on Form 20-F filed on April 28, 2020. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance, or achievements. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All information provided in this press release is as of today's date, unless otherwise stated, and Canadian Solar undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/canadian-solar-signs-a-total-of-862-mwp-in-solar-ppa-with-btg-and-auction-with-furnas-in-brazil-301178821.html

SOURCE Canadian Solar Inc.

FAQ

What recent agreements has Canadian Solar signed for solar projects in Brazil?

Canadian Solar signed a power purchase agreement with BTG Pactual for a 170 MWp solar project and was awarded two projects totaling 692 MWp from Furnas.

What is the expected construction timeline for Canadian Solar's projects in Brazil?

Construction for the BTG project is set to begin in 2021, while the Furnas projects are expected to start in 2022.

What is the total capacity of the solar projects awarded to Canadian Solar in Brazil?

The total capacity of the projects awarded in Brazil is 862 MWp, comprising 170 MWp from BTG and 692 MWp from Furnas.

When is Canadian Solar expected to achieve commercial operation for its projects in Brazil?

The BTG project is expected to reach commercial operation by the end of 2022, and the Furnas projects are projected to do so by the end of 2023.

How much has Canadian Solar's project backlog increased in Brazil with these recent agreements?

The backlog of solar projects in Brazil has increased to nearly 2.2 GWp following these agreements.