UNHCR Green Fund Solarization Tender Announcement

The UNHCR Green Fund is in the final stages of preparing the first round of a tender to finance, build and operate
solar plants at up to ten (10) UNHCR sites located in Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda, with an individual project size
ranging from 60kW to 500kW and an estimated total solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity of up to 1,800kW. It is
anticipated that each new PV system will be installed in combination with batteries and/or residual diesel
generation. All sites will include diesel backup. Bidding companies will be expected to bid on all the sites
eventually selected for the tender.
This tender will be run as a two-stage process and is scheduled to launch in November 2020 with an initial
Expression of Interest (EOI). The EOI will include pre-qualification criteria and is intended to lead to the selection
of the prospective bidders that will be invited to participate in the second stage, the formal solicitation process.
The EOI criteria will focus on the experience, expertise, capability and financial resources required to execute the
envisaged projects. The EOI stage will be followed by a Request for Proposal (RFP) with the pre-qualified
bidders, which is expected to begin in early 2021. Bids by consortia will be permitted, subject to specific
qualification criteria.
 

The Green Fund is an innovative financing mechanism that will allow UNHCR to contract clean energy as a
service via multi-year Power Purchase Agreements (or comparable leasing arrangements, where more adapted
to local regulatory frameworks) with private sector independent power producers (IPPs). Contracts will be backed
by the Green Fund in order to achieve the highest possible level of financial guarantees for the IPP and the most
competitive monthly capacity payments for UNHCR. This first tender will be followed by further procurement
rounds to continue the reduction in CO2 emissions from UNHCR sites.