Canadian Solar Issues JPY3.0 Billion Solar Project Bond in Japan

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Feb 24, 2016, 07:00 ET

GUELPH, Ontario, Feb. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Canadian Solar Inc. (the "Company", or "Canadian Solar") (NASDAQ: CSIQ), one of the world's largest solar power companies, today announced that it has entered into a financing agreement, pursuant to which, Goldman Sachs Japan Co., Ltd. has agreed to arrange a JPY3.0 billion ($26.0 million) project finance bond for Canadian Solar's 10.2 MWp Aomori-Misawa Solar Power Plant in Rokunohe-cho, Kamikita-gun, Aomori Prefecture, Japan.

The non-recourse bond, which is backed by the project assets, has a maturity of 20 years, including a 2-year grace period, and a fixed coupon rate of 1.4%. Goldman Sachs Japan Co., Ltd. acted as the bond arranger and Shinsei Trust and Banking Co., Ltd. as the lender.

The 10.2 MWp Aomori-Misawa Solar Power Plant received an investment grade rating of "A" from Japan Credit Rating Agency, Ltd. The project is expected to reach commercial operation in December, 2016. The electricity generated from this solar plant will be purchased by Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. under a 20-year feed-in-tariff contract at the rate of ¥36.00 yen ($0.32) per kWh.

Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Solar Inc. commented, "We are very proud to announce this important financing arrangement in Japan. In addition to giving us access to a very low-cost source of financing for our projects, this transaction is the first asset-backed security arranged by a foreign sponsor in the Japanese PV sector. In addition, the A investment grade rating is so far the highest for all PV-related project bonds issued in Japan, a testament to the high quality and bankability of Canadian Solar's project pipeline in Japan."

About Canadian Solar

Founded in 2001 in Canada, Canadian Solar is one of the world's largest and foremost solar power companies. As a leading manufacturer of solar photovoltaic modules and a provider of solar energy solutions, Canadian Solar has a geographically diversified pipeline of utility-scale power projects. In the past 14 years, Canadian Solar has successfully deployed over 13 GW of premium quality modules in over 90 countries around the world. Furthermore, Canadian Solar is one of the most bankable companies in the solar industry, having been publically listed on NASDAQ since 2006. For additional information about the company, follow Canadian Solar on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or on the website.

Safe Harbor/Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These statements are made under the "Safe Harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by such terms as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "estimates," the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include the risks regarding general business and economic conditions and the state of the solar industry; governmental support for the deployment of solar power; future available supplies of high-purity silicon; demand for end-use products by consumers and inventory levels of such products in the supply chain; changes in demand from significant customers; changes in demand from major markets such as Germany, Japan, the U.S. and China; changes in customer order patterns; changes in product mix; capacity utilization; level of competition; pricing pressure and declines in average selling prices; delays in new product introduction; delays in utility-scale project approval process; delays in utility-scale project construction; continued success in technological innovations and delivery of products with the features customers demand; shortage in supply of materials or capacity requirements; availability of financing; exchange rate fluctuations; litigation and other risks as described in the Company's SEC filings, including its annual report on Form 20-F filed on April 23, 2015. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance, or achievements. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All information provided in this press release is as of today's date, unless otherwise stated, and Canadian Solar undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

This press release is made solely for information. Accordingly this press release does not constitute an offer to sell securities, loans or any financial products which may be mentioned herein and should not be construed as consisting of investment advice.

SOURCE Canadian Solar Inc.