IPFA Webinar, Middle East Market Update – Will 2018 signal a re-boot of the Middle East project finance market?

Given Asia&#39,s growing importance to our ongoing growth and prosperity and Asia&#39,s growing appetite for Australian infrastructure, this session will seek to provide specific insights into the growing part that Asia is playing in our infrastructure landscape.

Victoria is facing the challenge of meeting the infrastructure demands of a population growing at record speeds. This seminar will discuss why investing in the state&#39,s major infrastructure program is becoming more critical to handle this demand - as is considering the most innovative and efficient ways to bring these projects to market

A disproportionate focus is given to the procurement phase of PPPs in contrast to the strategies for maximising value post-Financial close. PPP Contracts are increasingly complex to manage. More emphasis is being given to optimising the delivery of services. This seminar will explore these issues from the different perspectives of government and the private sector.

This 2 hour seminar will focus on giving a market update in terms of governmental Project Finance and Infrastructure plans.

In recent years, governments in East Africa have started embracing the concept of PPPs and are now taking great strides towards implementation, particularly in the roads sector. This event will look to further unpack the roads programmes in Kenya and Uganda as both countries shift into the procurement phase on their flagship projects. Attendees will have a chance to hear the latest updates from senior representatives of Kenya National Highways Authority and Uganda National Roads Authority along with a panel discussion and Q&A.

PPP activity in Belgium has slowed down in the past years despite an urgent need for public infrastructure. However, several recent developments may contribute to PPPs’ renaissance in Belgium in the coming years. The goal of this event is to discuss a number of positive factors and ideas that provide new opportunities for PPPs in Belgium.

Over the next 25 years it is widely recognised that Ireland needs to invest in its Infrastructure to cater for, forecast growth in population, demographic changes, our developing towns and cities, and the evolution of the way we work. Our panel will discuss the ways in which private finance and investment can contribute to addressing Ireland’s 2040 ambition.

This event will be an update from the CEOs of the principal transport infrastructure agencies on their current\planned projects for the road and rail sectors.

Embedded generation is the small-scale production of power connected within the electricity distribution network, located close to the place of consumption. For example, a typical solar system of this nature will supply enough power for the daily (sunshine hours) use of a business without feeding excess power back into the grid. At night, should the business require extra power, it can use power from the grid. South African legislation makes no provision for generated electricity to be fed into the national grid outside the current REIPPP projects. With this system, a business owner/community can utilise solar technology without contravening any legislation and put a system in place which, when increased in size, could generate profits should relevant tariffs come into effect in the future.

With the construction industry in South Africa in a state of flux, where are the construction opportunities beyond our borders? What strategies are construction companies employing to ensure sustainability and business success? We have convened a panel of industry experts to share their thoughts. The panel will address a number of issues that delay or halt the development of construction projects from procurement and regulatory challenges, to Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) considerations, and available sources of project funding.

Water security is a key risk facing all South Africans and is not limited to those living in the Western Cape. Reliable sources predict that with the influence of droughts and floods caused by global warming, population growth and increased usage of water for agriculture, all South Africans will be faced with water security concerns by 2025. How can Government and the private sector assist in alleviating this looming infrastructure crisis? Join us and our panel of lenders, private equity investors, environmental law experts and technical guru's to evolve the conversation for future solutions.

The Scottish Government has developed a new energy strategy for Scotland - published in draft in January 2017 it sits alongside the draft Climate Change Plan for consultation. The Climate Change Plan (previously known as RPP3) will set out the government’s policies and proposals for meeting its climate change targets to 2032, and the energy sector will be a critical part of that. The strategy will be a visionary statement of the Scottish Government’s plans for low carbon energy production and use – demonstrating how to facilitate and capitalise on the transition to a low carbon economy. It will bring together separate policy initiatives for the first time into one coherent narrative – aligning Scottish Government energy policy toward a common purpose. Through the strategy, the Scottish Government are keen to present a strong vision for the future energy system in Scotland (to 2050) – providing clear signals of its long term energy priorities to prospective investors.

This event examines the current regulatory, financial, commercial and legal challenges issues facing the large scale deployment of energy storage and what needs to happen for greater deployment, including storage emerging as a distinct asset class

Join us at this event as we assess the current state of play and explore the routes forward for businesses and funders looking to overcome the challenges associated with smart cities business models, infrastructure and funding to achieve the full deployment of smart cities.

Three years ago, a team of researchers at EDHEC business school endeavoured to create a reference index of the financial performance of private infrastructure investments. It took that long to collect millions of data points about hundreds of private infrastructure firms and SPVs, design asset pricing models that could handle this data and produce the risk-adjusted performance metrics that large institutional investors and prudential regulators have been lacking to better understand the role of the infrastructure ‘asset class’. This webinar will present the approach taken to collect data and to build a representative market index, to produce quasi-market valuation that are not plagued by the usual ’stake price’ issues found in private equity, and to build indices that can be used for asset allocation, performance monitoring and risk model calibration.

Investors in the renewable sector need to make smart investment and portfolio management decisions in a very competitive market. Recent natural disasters are reminders of the importance of renewable energy investments to support economic growth and sustainability. During this webinar, we will explore the fundamentals of credit risk management for project finance and then delve deeper into best practices to assess default and recovery risk for the renewable energy sector.

Institutional investors have been steadily increasing their exposure to private infrastructure debt investment in recent years as they search for yield, seek to diversify their portfolios and find a better asset/liability match. Private infrastructure debt can be categorised into two sub-sets, infrastructure project debt and infrastructure corporate debt. As we begin to carve out a distinct asset class for private infrastructure debt the question is, is there a difference between the two?

While attention on PPPs and concessions often focusses on the ability to attract finance and achieve financial close, less attention is usually given to the subsequent management of projects through construction and operations. If the public is to receive the full benefit of the infrastructure services that PPP projects can deliver, governments need to pay close attention to contract management. This includes ensuring that PPP contract management teams are well-resourced, and that adequate training is provided to the officials responsible for handling both day-to-day management issues, such as performance monitoring and application of payment deductions, and the significant challenges that can arise with PPP projects, such as disputes and renegotiation.

There is a significant gap between Nigeria’s infrastructure needs and the funding available from the Nigerian government for infrastructure projects. Private investment in infrastructure projects is a viable means of bridging the gap. With Lagos State recently announcing that the state is at the final stage of selecting a new bidder for the 4th Mainland Bridge project, this event focuses on what Nigerian states can do to encourage private investment in infrastructure. This event will feature panel discussions between key public and private stakeholders.

This modular course is great for individuals looking to develop their careers in infrastructure investment and finance.

This 2-day practitioner-led course is designed for experienced practitioners from other disciplines as well as finance specialists who wish to better understand the current and more challenging issues in project finance and PPPs. 

This 1-day practitioner-led introductory course covers the fundamental concepts structured in a way to help participants understand how Project Finance, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), and private sector investment are implemented internationally, explaining regional and country differences in approach.

This course will provide a comprehensive overview of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) including its background as well as recent rapid developments and their associated risks and opportunities for investors. Covering aspects such as Asia Pacific regulations, international standards, reporting and assurance, attendees will finish the session with a broad understanding of the ESG landscape as well as future trends in infrastructure.

Understanding Project Finance & PPPs provides an introductory perspective to the Australian project lifecycle covering procurement, risk management (from government and private sector perspective) interpreting the cashflows, independent reports and the finance structure. No prior knowledge is required.