Guidance

Direct Lending: additional features

Find out more about our £2 billion Clean Growth Direct Lending Facility.

Clean Growth Direct Lending Facility

UK Export Finance (UKEF) provides direct loans within an overall limit of £8 billion to overseas buyers. Of that limit, £2 billion has been allocated to support clean growth projects.

The UK has a Clean Growth Strategy which defines clean growth as “growing our national income while cutting greenhouse gas emissions”.

UKEF will align its definition of clean growth with the Green Bond Principles.

Each prospective deal will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Below is a list of the types of projects that UKEF may consider to be eligible for the clean growth direct lending facility.

Renewable energy

Including:

  • production
  • transmission
  • appliances and products

Energy efficiency

Including:

  • new and refurbished buildings
  • energy storage
  • district heating
  • smart grids
  • appliances and products

Pollution prevention and control

Including:

  • reduction of air emissions
  • greenhouse gas control
  • soil remediation
  • waste prevention
  • waste reduction
  • waste recycling
  • energy/emission efficient waste to energy

Environmentally sustainable management of living natural resources and land use

Including:

  • environmentally sustainable agriculture
  • environmentally sustainable animal husbandry
  • climate smart farm inputs, such as, biological crop protection or drip-irrigation
  • environmentally sustainable fishery and aquaculture
  • environmentally sustainable forestry, including afforestation or reforestation
  • preservation or restoration of natural landscapes

Terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity conservation

Including:

  • the protection of coastal, marine and watershed environments

Clean transportation

Including:

  • electric, hybrid, public, rail, non-motorised, multi-modal transportation
  • infrastructure for clean energy vehicles
  • reduction of harmful emissions

Sustainable water and wastewater management

Including:

  • sustainable infrastructure for clean and/or drinking water
  • wastewater treatment
  • sustainable urban drainage systems
  • river training and other forms of flooding mitigation

Climate change adaptation

Including:

  • information support systems, such as climate observation and early warning systems

Eco-efficient and/or circular economy adapted products, production technologies and processes

Including:

  • development and introduction of environmentally sustainable products, with an eco-label or environmental certification
  • resource-efficient packaging and distribution

Green buildings

Including:

  • buildings that meet regional, national or internationally recognised standards or certifications

Find out more about UKEF’s Direct Lending Facility.

To discuss eligibility for our support, contact our customer services team. Email customer.service@ukexportfinance.gov.uk or call +44 (0)20 7271 8010.

Updates to this page

Published 4 August 2020

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