BKW: Green bond successfully issued Montag, 01. Juli 2019 - 17:30
Green bond successfully issued
BKW enables investment in 100 percent renewable energy
Bern, 1 July 2019
BKW is the first listed Swiss company to launch a green bond for trading on the Swiss exchange. The CHF 200 million bond generated great interest from investors and was several times oversubscribed. BKW is thus refinancing the construction of various Swiss small hydroelectric power plants and wind farms in Norway and France. Moreover, BKW commits with this step to sustainability: 75 percent of the installed capacity of the BKW production park shall be renewable by 2023.
Demand for green bonds is growing steadily. In addition to security, liquidity and yield, sustainability is becoming an increasingly important fourth criterion for investors. CFO Ronald Trächsel adds: “We take the needs of the capital market into account and are the first listed Swiss company to offer the opportunity to invest in a green bond on the Swiss exchange. In doing so, we are positioning ourselves as one of the pioneers in the area of green bonds on the Swiss capital market.”
The CHF 200 million will flow exclusively into green projects. For that, BKW aligned with the Green Bond Principles of the International Capital Market Association (ICMA). These stipulate that the money must flow into projects with measurable ecological added value. BKW's green bond consists of various small hydroelectric power plants in Switzerland and wind power plants in Norway and France.
BKW also wants to make a contribution to sustainability in its production park. “Our goal is to have 75 percent of the installed capacity of our production park renewable by 2023,” says CEO Suzanne Thoma. BKW is thus systematically continuing along the path it has already taken: since 2013, the company has relied exclusively on renewable energies when investing in new power plants.
BKW's fixed, senior unsecured green bond worth CHF 200 million has a coupon of 0.25 percent and a term of 8 years. The settlement of the bond will take place on 29 July 2019. The issueance was led by BNP Paribas (Suisse) SA and UBS AG. The bond will be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.
Watch the video for the BKW green bond with CEO Suzanne Thoma and CFO Ronald Trächsel here.
You can find out more about BKW’s sustainability commitment here.
BKW
The BKW Group is a Bern-based international energy and infrastructure company employing around 8,000 people. Its company network and extensive expertise allow it to offer its customers a full range of overall solutions. The Group plans, builds and operates infrastructure to produce and supply energy to businesses, households and the public sector, and offers digital business models for renewable energies. Today, the BKW Group portfolio comprises everything from engineering consultancy and planning for energy, infrastructure and environmental projects, through integrated offers in the field of building technology, to the construction, servicing and maintenance of energy, telecommunications, transport and water networks.
The registered shares of BKW AG are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.
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