A Middle East and North Africa (MENA) solar plant financed by a development finance institution (DFI) is built twice. First on paper, for the lenders and their technical adviser. Then on site. EPCs that treat the paper version as a formality lose months at financial close.
Quick answer. For solar engineering on MENA DFI projects, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) both expect a lender-grade engineering file: a bankable energy yield assessment with P50 and P90 values, a design basis tied to named IEC standards, site-specific civil and structural calculations, a grid study, and an environmental and social (E&S) package. EBRD tests the E&S side against its 2024 Environmental and Social Requirements (ESRs).
TL;DR
- EBRD replaced its 2019 Performance Requirements with 10 Environmental and Social Requirements in its October 2024 policy.
- IsDB lends to sovereign and private solar projects in member countries, often next to other lenders.
- MENA DFI deals are usually co-financed, so one engineering file must satisfy several reviewers.
- Desert sites shift the engineering risk to soiling, heat, sand and wind. Model them explicitly.
- Build the lender file at bid stage. Retrofitting it after award is where schedules slip.
This guide is for EPC owners and developers bidding MENA utility-scale or large C&I solar with DFI debt. It complements our DFI bankability guide for AfDB, IFC and USAID, which covers sub-Saharan Africa.
Who IsDB and EBRD Are in MENA Solar
Both banks are active lenders to MENA solar, but they reach projects in different ways. Knowing which one sits in your financing plan tells you which policies the engineering file will be read against.
| Lender | Role in MENA solar | Documented example | What it means for engineering |
|---|---|---|---|
| EBRD | Lends to private projects in its countries of operation, including the southern and eastern Mediterranean | 750 MW across 16 plants at Benban, Egypt | E&S file is reviewed against the 2024 ESRs |
| IsDB | Multilateral bank for its member countries; sovereign and non-sovereign finance | US$170 million for DEWA’s 800 MW Phase III in Dubai (2016) | Often a co-lender, so it relies on a shared technical file |
| ICD (IsDB Group private-sector arm) | Private-sector lending alongside other DFIs | Parallel loan of up to US$28.5 million next to EBRD at Benban | Same file, another credit committee |
The EBRD financed 750 MW over 16 projects at Benban, with a total investment cost of about US$1.13 billion, according to the EBRD (2022). The IsDB approved US$170 million for DEWA’s 800 MW Phase III plant, according to an IsDB release (2016).
IsDB is still active in 2026. Its board approved US$22 million for a Palestine PV Solar Power Plants Project (Phase I) in June 2026, per the IsDB (2026). For Gulf utility work outside DFI debt, see our guides to UAE solar engineering and DEWA bankability and Saudi Arabia’s REPDO programme.
What the Lenders’ Technical Adviser Actually Reviews
DFIs rarely review drawings themselves. A lenders’ technical adviser, often called the independent engineer (IE), reviews the file and reports to the banks. The IE’s questions are predictable.
Energy yield
The IE wants a bankable PVsyst report with stated loss assumptions and an uncertainty budget. The headline numbers are the P50 and P90 annual yields. Debt is usually sized on the downside case, so a weak P90 cuts loan size directly.
Design basis
The IE checks that the design follows named standards, not “good practice”. For the array, that usually means IEC 62548, explained in our IEC 62548 guide. For commissioning, it means IEC 62446-1, covered in our commissioning checklist.
Civil and structural
Expect questions on geotechnical data, pile design and wind loads. A generic structure letter does not pass. The IE wants calculations for the actual site, like a site-specific STAAD structural report.
Grid and E&S
The IE checks the grid study against the offtaker’s grid code. E&S consultants then review land, labour, water and biodiversity under the lender’s policy.
EBRD’s 2024 Environmental and Social Requirements
The EBRD published a new Environmental and Social Policy in October 2024. It replaced the 2019 policy and renamed its Performance Requirements as Environmental and Social Requirements, per the EBRD Environmental and Social Policy 2024.
There are 10 ESRs. ESR 1 covers assessment and management of E&S risks, ESR 2 labour and working conditions, and ESR 3 resource efficiency and pollution prevention, per the EBRD ESR 1 text (2024).
Several ESRs touch engineering decisions directly:
- Water (ESR 3). Module cleaning in the desert uses water. State the cleaning method, frequency and water source in the design basis.
- Labour (ESR 2). Construction method affects worker exposure to heat. Your installation sequence and site layout feed the E&S plan.
- Land. The plant boundary, access roads and cable routes drive land take. Freeze them early so the E&S team assesses the final footprint.
For smaller deals through partner banks, the EBRD applies separate solar eligibility criteria. Sub-projects of 5 MW or more go to EBRD’s Environment and Sustainability Department for review, per its E&S eligibility criteria for solar sub-projects (April 2025).
Desert Engineering Risks the IE Will Probe
MENA sites have high irradiance and harsh operating conditions. The IE’s job is to test whether your yield and design reflect both.
| Risk | What the IE asks | What your file should show |
|---|---|---|
| Soiling | What soiling loss did you assume, and why? | Monthly soiling profile linked to the cleaning plan |
| Module temperature | Are thermal losses realistic for summer peaks? | Site temperature data and the thermal model used |
| Sand and dust | Can trackers and inverters cope? | Equipment ratings and a stow strategy |
| Wind | Which wind speed did the structure use? | Wind load basis and site-specific calculations |
| Grid | Will the plant meet the grid code? | Grid study and inverter capability curves |
Soiling is the most argued loss in desert yield reports. Our PVsyst soiling loss guide shows how to justify a profile instead of a single flat percentage.
The MENA DFI Engineering File, Stage by Stage
Use this checklist to match engineering output to the financing timeline.
| Stage | Engineering deliverable | Who reads it |
|---|---|---|
| Bid or feasibility | Site screening, preliminary layout, P50/P90 yield | Developer, lenders’ first screen |
| Pre-financial close | Design basis, SLD, grid study inputs, civil concept | IE, E&S consultant |
| Financial close | Detailed yield report, structural calcs, final BOQ | IE, lenders’ credit committees |
| Construction | IFC drawings, change log against the financed design | IE construction monitoring |
| Commissioning | IEC 62446-1 test records, as-built drawings | IE, offtaker |
The pattern behind most delays is simple. The bid-stage design was never meant to reach lenders. Our guide on bid-stage vs IFC-stage engineering explains where the two diverge.
Co-Financing Means One File, Many Readers
MENA DFI deals are often co-financed. At Benban, EBRD lending sat next to funds mobilised from the Green Climate Fund, FMO, ICD, Proparco and others, per the EBRD (2019).
Each lender has its own policies, but they usually share one IE. That changes how you prepare:
- Build one master design basis, not one per lender.
- Map each lender’s E&S policy to the same set of studies.
- Keep a single change log so every revision is traceable.
- Answer IE queries in writing, against the clause they raised.
Where Heaven Designs Fits
Heaven Designs prepares the engineering side of the lender file: ground-mount layouts, PVsyst yield reports, SLDs, structural calculations and as-built packages. We do not prepare E&S impact assessments, and we do not represent any DFI or IE.
On an 11 MW DC tin-shed rooftop project in a Gulf country, Heaven Designs provided three months of on-site consultancy, engineering design and compliance support. The project avoided a ₹5 crore penalty, as described in the Gulf case study.
FAQ
Does IsDB have its own solar design standard?
We found no IsDB-specific solar design standard. In practice, its projects are reviewed against IEC standards and the host country’s grid code. Confirm requirements with the lender for your project.
Is EBRD still using Performance Requirements?
The 2024 policy uses the term Environmental and Social Requirements. Some EBRD documents still use the old name, so check which policy version your loan agreement cites.
Can a bid-stage PVsyst report go to the IE?
Usually not as-is. The IE expects documented loss assumptions, a meteo source comparison and an uncertainty budget. Upgrade the report before financial close.
Next Step
If you are preparing a MENA DFI bid, send us the site, capacity and lender list. We will tell you which engineering deliverables your file needs. Get a project quote, and we reply within 1 business day.