Supporting South African SMEs to develop energy efficiency projects

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Bio2Watt is an industrial scale biogas waste-to-energy company. Its largest biogas plant is located in Bronkhorstspruit, 120 km from Johannesburg, and it uses natural resources such as cow manure and food waste to produce 100% ‘green’ electricity.The gas from the plant’s digesters drives four large gas engines connected to generators and the national electricity grid (ESKOM). The plant’s energy generation capacity stands at 4.4 MW generating electricity on a 24/7 basis.Bio2Watt received a EUR 6 M loan through Sunref, AFD’s green label, to realize its green investments of producing clean energy and reducing waste.AFD’s green finance label Sunref facilitates SMEs access to low-cost renewable energy and supports sustainable use of natural resources. The current second phase – Sunref II – is characterised by:A credit line of EUR 120 million granted to the International Development Corporation (IDC) to finance energy efficiency and small-scale renewable energy initiatives that contribute to local job creation,Technical assistance of EUR 3 million funded by SECO, the Swiss International Cooperation. It will aim at pursuing capacity-building for the participating banks, as well as for their clients, in order to create an enabling environment for the emergence of projects financed under the proposed credit line.