Buddle Findlay is proud to have advised ASB Bank Limited as the lender on the project financing of the Central Hawke's Bay Solar Farm, being developed by a joint venture between Centralines and Lodestone Energy.
The solar farm will be Hawke’s Bay’s first utility-scale solar farm and, on completion in late summer 2027, will add approximately 49.6 gigawatt hours of electricity annually - enough electricity to power 7,000 homes.
The Buddle Findlay projects team advising the finance parties was led by partners Daniel Collins and Ed McGimpsey and included Peter Owles and Seamus Barnett. Tom Fail, advised the ProjectCo on the financing arrangements and Simpson Grierson and Chapman Tripp advised Centralines and Lodestone Energy (respectively) on the project documentation.
Daniel Collins commented "we are delighted to have partnered with ASB in delivering the project financing for the Central Hawke's Bay Solar Farm. It has been a real pleasure to work alongside ASB's expert team of Matt Dobbs, Mark Chandler and Fi Smyth.
Congratulations to the various legal teams involved and the respective teams at Centralines and Lodestone Energy. This is a fantastic outcome for the Hawke's Bay and hopefully continues the strong growth in this source of renewable energy.
Finally, a big thanks to Patrick Timmins, Brendan McNamara and Stuart Smith who were always on hand to answer any questions from ASB and drive the transaction forward – especially in the frantic last couple of weeks leading up to financial close."
