The Asian Development Bank has approved a $160 million loan to finance three solar farms totalling 310 MW in Bhutan, marking the country's first private-majority public-private partnership in the energy sector.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $160 million loan to finance the expansion of solar power generation in Bhutan. The project aims to develop at least 310 MW of new photovoltaic capacity across three solar farms in two districts of the kingdom. This large-scale financing dynamic is visible elsewhere, such as with RWE’s 320 MW Peartree Hill solar farm approved in the United Kingdom and the 42 MW solar project launched by Filatex and Release by Scatec in Madagascar.
Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC), Bhutan’s national energy company, will build two of the three installations. The Wobthang solar farm, with a capacity of 120 MW, and the Pedseling solar farm, at 40 MW, will both be located in the Bumthang district. DGPC will handle all development and equity investment for these two sites.
The 150 MW Dramthang solar farm will be developed in the Lhuentse district through a joint venture between DGPC and Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited. Bhutan Power Corporation will construct 46 kilometers of transmission lines to connect the three sites to the national grid.
According to the ADB, the project would introduce Bhutan’s first private-majority public–private partnership (PPP) in the energy sector. The institution indicates the initiative would reduce the country’s reliance on imported electricity during the dry winter season, when hydropower generation declines. Peak winter electricity demand rose from 487 MW in 2021 to 1,477 MW in 2025, with the winter power deficit projected to exceed 1,000 MW by 2030.
The project supports Bhutan’s national target of 5,000 MW of solar capacity by 2040. It also includes renewable energy training programs for more than 250 people, with at least 70% of beneficiaries expected to be women, according to the ADB.
The ADB’s $160 million loan would cover the majority of project costs, including DGPC’s equity investment in the joint venture. A $500,000 grant from the Innovative Finance Facility for Climate in Asia and the Pacific (IF-CAP), funded by the Government of Japan, will support training and scholarship programs. A separate $1 million ADB technical assistance grant would help strengthen Bhutan’s solar energy policies and institutional capacity.
The institution estimates the project will mobilize approximately $68.7 million in private equity and commercial debt. This structure combines multilateral financing and private capital in a model that the ADB describes as pioneering for Bhutan’s energy sector.
TotalEnergies ENEOS has commissioned a nearly 28 MWp rooftop photovoltaic system at Samsung Electronics' Ho Chi Minh City complex, the first private project under Vietnam's Decree
The reference media for the energy transition: markets, projects, regulation and jobs.

source