NEWS
- Wed 31, May.2023
- PRESS RELEASE
SBI Shinsei Bank Green Loan provided to a LLC formed by GPSS Holdings Co.
May 31, 2023
GPSS Holdings, Inc.
GPSS Group is a corporate group that aims to realize a sustainable society through energy supply business using sustainable resources such as solar, wind, small and medium-sized hydropower, geothermal, and biogas.
We consider untapped natural potentials such as water, wind, and heat in local communities as “commons*,” and under the slogan “Beginning from the local community” we establish joint energy supply projects with communities to make society sustainable. （https://gpssgroup.jp/home_en/）
*The term “commons” refers to resources that are the property of the entire society and should be maintained and managed together.
SBI Shinsei Bank has provided a “Shinsei Green Loan” on May 31, 2023 to a limited liability company formed by GPSS Holdings, Inc., a member of the GPSS Group (Headquarter: Minato-ku, Tokyo. Representative Director and CEO: Masaki Mezaki), to refinance the construction of a solar power plant and its related expenses.
<Summary of the Green Loan Evaluation conducted by the SBI Shinsei Bank’s Sustainable Impact Assessment Office>
| Borrower | GPSS4 LLC |
| Loan amount | 8.4 billion yen |
| Uses of fund | Refinancing funds for the construction of the solar portfolio project and its related costs (34 solar power plants already in operation, with an average output of approximately 1 MW). |
| Significance of this project | Expansion of renewable energy
It is expected to have an annual generation of 34,247 MWh of renewable energy per year (16-year average). |
| Environmental improvement effects and response to social issues | It will mainly contribute to the following SDG goals: 7. Affordable and clean energy; 9. Industry, innovation, and infrastructure; 13. Climate action. The Japanese government has set the goal of becoming a “decarbonized society” and has identified the promotion of renewable energy as one of its priorities. In addition, Hokkaido, Ibaraki, Nagano, Miyazaki, Tochigi, Kagoshima, and Tottori prefectures, which will be the prefectures where the project is located, have also stated the importance of the introduction of renewable energy. |
| Other evaluation points regarding this loan |
・The GPSS Group, to which the sponsor, asset manager, and O&M provider for this project belong, develops, and operates renewable energy power plants, including solar power generation facilities. They cooperate with the local community, with the goal of “contributing to the improvement of local sustainability using local sustainable energy”. This project is aligned with these organizational goals. ・The two facilities, which account for approximately 13% of the project’s panel output, are farm-based solar power plants that utilize abandoned farmland, with vegetation growing under the solar panels. In addition to the environmental improvement effects already mentioned, the facility has created a positive impact in the promotion of sustainable agriculture and revitalization of the local economy. ・GPSS Group considers the local communities as its most important stakeholders and emphasizes the importance of relationships with local communities and neighboring residents. The company participates as a joint venture partner with the local community for the development of power generation projects and it is their policy not to develop a project if the local communities have no intention of getting involved. |
“Shinsei Green Loan” is a loan that limits the use of funds to projects with clear environmental improvement effects, conforming to the “Shinsei Green Finance Framework” established by the bank in May 2020. For more information on Shinsei Green Loan and Shinsei Green Finance Framework, please refer to the following URL.
https://www.sbishinseibank.co.jp/institutional/sustainable_finance/green/
For inquiries, please contact
GPSS Group
PR/Communication Group
Email: pr@gpss.jp