Latest Analysis
US airports – hashtag flying too
Transport North AmericaEveryone has an airport horror story and – curiously – many of them occur in America. For a First World nation that embraced flight early as the favoured mode of transport, it remains a curiosity that the user experience is so… Third World
Italy's infrastructure under pressure
Transport EuropeAt a time when Italy is in urgent need of investment in infrastructure, a number of projects are suffering delays due to indebted construction companies and political pressures. A dispute between the national government and the EU is creating economic uncertainty, and the recent Morandi bridge disaster is casting a dark shadow over all private sector-led projects in the country
Brazilian power buyers flock to 'free' market
Power Latin AmericaPrivate power purchase agreements, increasingly prevalent in developed countries and some developing nations such as Mexico, are on the rise in Brazil
Off-grid solutions for those most in need
Renewables Sub-Saharan AfricaIf you are looking for an infrastructure-related charity to support, Power for the People wants your attention
Thailand – transport of delight
Transport Asia PacificCasting an eye around the global infra market for this week’s missive, the first thought was to write about American airports, but Thanksgiving put the kibosh on that. The second option was PPP across Asia Pacific, but that’s just too much shoe-horn into one story. Then, after a few calls with chums in Singapore, the eye fell on Thailand… and stayed there
Sakaka solar PV, Saudi Arabia
Renewables MENAThe 300MW Sakaka solar PV tender attracted two world record-breaking solar tariffs, and demonstrates market appetite for Saudi Arabia's nascent renewables programme
Filling the void: corporate PPAs in Ireland
Renewables EuropeWith Ireland’s renewable energy feed-in tariff (REFIT) schemes slowly coming to an end – and increasing confusion around the new support scheme RESS – Irish developers are increasingly looking to corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs)
The Caribbean – welcome to PPParadise
Renewables North AmericaMany people find it hard to look beyond sun-drenched beaches and cocktails when it comes to the Caribbean. But with 28 countries and a combined population of 42.5 million, there’s a strong argument for rebranding it “the land of sun, sea and PPP”… if it can follow the example of Jamaica
Philippines: Build, Build, Build
Transport Asia PacificThe Philippines has gone beyond its historically mediocre growth pattern to become one of the fastest growing nations in Southeast Asia. However, the country still suffers high levels of unemployment and poverty, and its infrastructure is crumbling
Airports – a folly by any other NAIM
Transport Latin AmericaThe worst thing any country with ambitions to drive an infrastructure investment programme can do is to cancel a headline project when it’s well on the way through construction
Mexico: The more renewables, the better
Renewables Latin AmericaMexico has seen a rapid rise in renewables development over the last five years, with the Mexican Secretariat of Energy in October reporting a 35% increase in installed renewable energy capacity
InfraCo Asia divestment of Coc San hydro stake, Vietnam
Power Asia PacificInfraCo Asia has completed the sale of its 33.4% interest in the operational 29.7MW Coc San run-of-river hydro plant in Vietnam to Japanese utility Tokyo Electric Power Company
Howard County Courthouse P3 – Maryland, US
Social & Defence North AmericaIt is almost unheard of in the US for a P3 project to go from procurement to financial close in just under a year. However, this is exactly what happened with the $150 million Howard County Circuit Courthouse P3 in Maryland, which reached financial close in October, setting a precedent for how infrastructure projects should be procured in North America
US and China – first responders
North AmericaThe US Senate on 3 October passed the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development Act. It aims to facilitate the investment of $60 billion in developing countries through a newly formed development finance agency – the US International Development Finance Corporation
Cory Riverside Energy refinancing, UK
Renewables EuropeIn the recent auction of UK energy-from-waste plant operator Cory Riverside Energy, BNP Paribas offered to provide a substantial debt underwrite for the Dalmore Capital-led consortium that ultimately emerged victorious. Four months later, the bank closed the syndication of a £554 million debt package, bringing banks and institutions into the deal
PPP – drip, drip… silence
Transport EuropeThroughout history the UK has been responsible for numerous infrastructure inventions that have rocked the world – from the jet engine through to pneumatic tyres, the telephone, railways, good old tar macadam… and PPP