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Overview

China Eximbank provides $201.2 million preferential buyer’s credit for Phase 2 of the Malabo Power Grid Project

Commitments (Constant USD, 2023)$218,118,917
Commitment Year2012Country of ActivityEquatorial GuineaDirect Recipient Country of IncorporationEquatorial GuineaSectorEnergyFlow TypeLoan

Status

Project lifecycle

Completion

Pipeline: PledgePipeline: CommitmentImplementationCompletion

Timeline

Key dates

Commitment date
Jul 20, 2012

Geospatial footprint

Map overview

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The purpose of this project was to finance the power grid infrastructure of Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. More detailed locational information can be found at: https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/292521364

Stakeholders

Organizations involved in projects and activities supported by financial and in-kind transfers from Chinese government and state-owned entities

Ultimate beneficial owners

At least 25% host country ownership

Funding agencies

State-owned Policy Banks

  • Export-Import Bank of China (China Eximbank)

Receiving agencies

Government Agencies

  • Government of Equatorial Guinea

Implementing agencies

State-owned companies

  • China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC)

Loan description

China Eximbank provides $201.2 million preferential buyer’s credit for Phase 2 of the Malabo Power Grid Project

Interest typeUnknown

Collateral

Subsidiary buyer's credits (loans) under a $2 billion master (buyer's credit) facility were secured with (i.e. collateralized against) minimum cash balances in an escrow account opened by Government of Equatorial Guinea in China Eximbank. Under the original terms of an Account Settlement and Financing Agreement (Convenio de Liquidacion de cuentas y Financiamiento) that the parties signed on February 17, 2006, the minimum cash balance requirement was reportedly equivalent to 30 percent of the Government of Equatorial Guinea's outstanding stock of debt to China Eximbank. After the Account Settlement and Financing Agreement was amended on March 26, 2010, the borrower was expected -- at any given point in time -- to maintain a minimum cash balance in the escrow account equivalent to the value of its next set of semi-annual principal, interest, and fee payment obligations to the lender. The borrower was also expected to deposit the cash proceeds from its oil export sales (crude oil sales revenue) to Chinese importers (under one or more offtake agreements) into a payment reserve account (known as 还款准备金 or 赤道几内亚共和国财务预算部还款准备金). More specifically, the borrower was expected to deposit the cash proceeds from six oil cargoes into the payment reserve account. As of January 2020, Equatorial Guinea's Ministry of Finance was expected to maintain a minimum cash balance of $58,416,671.63 in its escrow account with China Eximbank (an amount equivalent to the next semi-annual installment of principal, interest, and fees due to China Eximbank in July 2020). The actual cash balance of the escrow account was $100,698,988 as of December 31, 2017, $85.725,355.79 as of March 31, 2018, $149,825,137 as of April 30, 2018, $157,600,000 as of June 30, 2018, $75,923,212.60 as of July 31, 2018, $220,890,603.40 as of September 30, 2018, $241,848,587.20 as of December 31, 2019, and $39,223,380.18 as of February 13, 2020. The cash balance of the payment reserve account was $478,423,556 as of December 31, 2017, $478,423,556.50 as of March 31, 2018, $478,423,556.50 as of April 30, 2018, $478,423,556.50 as of June 30, 2018, $478,423,556.50 as of July 31, 2018, $478,423,556.50 as of September 30, 2018, $475,537,571.28 as of December 21, 2019, and $483,516,774 as of December 31, 2019.

Narrative

Full Description

Project narrative

On July 20, 2012, China Eximbank and Equatorial Guinea’s Ministry of Finance signed a $201,250,532.92 preferential buyer’s credit (PBC) agreement [CHINA EXIMBANK PBC NO. (2012) 22 TOTAL NO. (210)] for Phase 2 of the Malabo Power Grid Project. The borrowing terms of the loan are unknown. However, it is known that the proceeds of the loan were used to finance a commercial contract with China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC). According to Caja Autónoma de Amortización de la Deuda Pública within Equatorial Guinea’s Ministry of Finance and Budget, the China Eximbank PBC for the project had disbursed $148,960,746.15 as of December 31, 2019 and the borrower had made principal ($9,930,716.42) and interest ($14,720,836.26) payments worth $24,651,552.68 as of December 31, 2019. The loan's principal amount outstanding was $139,030,029.73 as of December 31, 2019. Then, on January 21, 2020, the borrower made an additional principal and interest payment worth $11,973,554.36 to China Eximbank. The purpose of the project was to expand the power grid in the city of Malabo. CMEC was the contractor responsible for project implementation. The project reached completion, but its precise commencement and completion dates are unknown.

Staff comments

1. This project is also known as the Malabo Electrification Project and Phase 2 of Malabo Connections Project. The Spanish project title is El Proyecto de la electrificación de Malabo and Proyecto de Urbanización de la Red de Transmision Electrica en la Ciudad de Malabo Fase II or Fase II, Acometidas Malabo. The Chinese project title is 首都马拉博城市电网改造项目二期. 2. This China Eximbank loan was not included in the database of Chinese loan commitments that SAIS-CARI released in 2020 and re-released in 2021. Nor was it included it in the Chinese Loans to Africa (CLA) Database — that is maintained by Boston University's Global Development Policy Center — as of September 2024 3. Some sources identify the face value of the loan as $174,000,000. However, AidData relies on the face value of the loan ($201,250,532.92) that is identified by Equatorial Guinea's Ministry of Finance (see https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/1g02zevd21salaogm6egd/List-of-Chinese-loans-published-on-Equatorial-Guinea-Ministry-of-Finance-Website-in-2021.xlsx?rlkey=fr9lomks4dce3zhwgfden2grp&dl=0 and https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/20hjuaclx0huk36o4oqnf/Ministry-of-Finance-Statements-on-Equatorial-Guinea-s-External-Debt-Situation-2009-2019.xlsx?rlkey=sj7qii1zooaiwdi649d1yri1k&dl=0). 4. The borrower made debt service payments to the lender from an escrow account (ID#1360000100000881349). See https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pk6rsp7qlg3uigv79jk4t/ordenes_de_pago_2020.pdf?rlkey=woy2yflgemcgvglz4392qg3qm&dl=0 5. Data on disbursements, repayments and amounts outstanding under the loan agreement are provided by Ministry of Finance Statements on Equatorial Guinea's External Debt Situation. See https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/20hjuaclx0huk36o4oqnf/Ministry-of-Finance-Statements-on-Equatorial-Guinea-s-External-Debt-Situation-2009-2019.xlsx?rlkey=sj7qii1zooaiwdi649d1yri1k&dl=0 and https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/1g02zevd21salaogm6egd/List-of-Chinese-loans-published-on-Equatorial-Guinea-Ministry-of-Finance-Website-in-2021.xlsx?rlkey=fr9lomks4dce3zhwgfden2grp&dl=0