A lending hand to finance the greening of a Chinese coal city: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 300 mn loan to help “catalyze green and inclusive transformation” in an industrial city in a leading coal-producing province in China, a statement by the bank said on Saturday. The loan for the Changzhi Municipality in Shanxi Province will help finance the USD 665 mn project, according to the statement. Some USD 365 mn in financing will be provided by the Chinese government, beneficiaries, and other sources. The project will see investments in low-carbon and climate-resilient infrastructure, including treated wastewater reuse facilities, new public parks, river rehabilitations, and sustainable transport, according to the statement. It is expected to be completed by 2030.

Kenya is planning what could be Africa’s largest wind farm: Kenya’s main power producer Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) is planning a 1 GW wind farm that could be the largest of its kind in Africa, Bloomberg reported on Friday. The partially state-owned company is eyeing debt finance to help cover 75% of the project’s costs, with the remainder funded through equity, it said in emailed statements to Bloomberg. The project will be located near the 310 MW Lake Turkana Wind Power park, which is currently Africa’s largest wind facility.

Already luring some in: The French Development Agency (AFD) is “taking a close interest” in the Kenyan wind farm, it told Bloomberg. Feasibility studies for the project are being conducted by its consultancy firm Sofreco, it added.

But wait: A proposed 10 GW project by KSA’s Acwa Power in Egypt could crush Kenya’s ambitions to build the continent’s largest wind facility. In July, Acwa Power signed a land allocation agreement with Egypt’s Electricity Ministry for its planned mega project in Upper Egypt’s Sohag. The wind farm will be one of the largest in the world when it is operational, coming second only to China’s planned 20 GW Gansu project.

OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THIS MORNING-

• Japan will release the second round of Fukushima wastewater next week despite objections from China. Japan started discharging the wastewater in August, releasing around 8k tonnes out of the 1.34 mn tonnes of accumulated wastewater. (The Guardian)