Softbank to invest 6 to 10 trillion yen in India’s photo-voltaic power business

Recently the NHK News On-line reported the following:

ソフトバンク インド太陽光発電事業に６～10兆円規模の投資へ

2018年6月15日 17時41分

ソフトバンクグループは、インドでの太陽光発電事業に巨額の投資をする方針を固めました。インド政府に対して、６兆円から10兆円規模の投資を提案し、最終的な調整を進めています。

関係者によりますと、ソフトバンクグループの孫正義社長は、インドのモディ政権が進める太陽光発電事業に巨額の投資をする方針を固めました。

ソフトバンクは、インド政府の支出額に応じて600億ドルから最大で1000億ドル（６兆円から最大10兆円）規模の投資を提案していて、両者は最終的な調整を進めたうえで、近く正式に合意する見通しです。

投資資金について、ソフトバンクは去年５月、サウジアラビアの政府系ファンドから出資を受けて設立したファンドから拠出する方針です。

インドのモディ政権は、深刻な電力不足の解消のため、日照に恵まれた環境を生かし、太陽光発電の普及を進める方針を掲げていて、今回の事業では、発電に加えて太陽電池パネルなど関連設備の開発や生産といった分野も含まれるということです。

ソフトバンクは、ことし３月にもサウジアラビア政府と総額2000億ドル（20兆円）を超える資金を投じて世界最大規模の太陽光発電事業を共同で進めることに合意していて、エネルギー分野への投資を世界規模で拡大させる姿勢を鮮明にしています。

Translation

Soft-bank group decided a policy to make a huge investment in the photo-voltaic generation business in India. Towards the Indian government the group had proposed an investment at a scale from 6,000,000 million yen to 10,000,000 million yen and adjustments were being advanced.

 According to people connected to President Masayoshi Son of the Soft-bank group, the latter had made a policy to do a huge investment in the business of photo-voltaic generation which the Indian MODI government was advancing.

Soft-bank, in response to the expenditure amount of the Indian government, proposed an investment at a scale ranged from 60,000 million dollars to the maximum of 100,000 million dollars (from 6,000,000 million yen to the maximum of 10,000,000 million yen); both were advancing last adjustments and the perspective was that a formal agreement was near.

About this investment fund, it was the policy of Softbank to pay out from a fund received from the investment fund of the Saudi Arabian government established in May last year.

The Indian MODI government for the purpose of alleviating serious power shortages had put up a policy to advance the spreading of photo-voltaic generation by making use the environment which was blessed with sunshine. About this business, it was said that on top of electricity generation, the fields such as the development and production of related equipment of solar array panel were also included.

Softbank together with the Saudi Arabian government in March of this year agreed to set up a fund with a total of over 200,000 million dollars (20,000,000 million yen) to jointly advance the world’s biggest photo-voltaic generation business; it showed a clear position in expanding investments in the energy field in a global scale.

Surely photovoltaic generation business has good potential worldwide.