Making Projects Investable
Summary
The publication of the National Infrastructure Pipeline last year provided a strategic overview of the level of public and private infrastructure investment planned to 2024/25 and beyond. It revealed a portfolio of projects requiring over £650bn of investment over the next 10 years. This figure is for infrastructure only and does not cover non-infras developments such as industrial facilities, real estate or transformations. So the true figure of the 10-year investment planned for major projects in the UK could easily top £1trn.
The outlook is one of an abundance of projects seeking investment, whether that is from the exchequer or the private sector. However, with economic uncertainties due to the pandemic, Brexit, the war in Ukraine and inflation, it is clear direct investment for public projects from the exchequer may be increasingly challenging to secure. Analysts seem to agree that there is plenty of private money available to finance new capital projects, but whether they are banks, pension funds, or insurance companies, there will be a range of factors influencing their choice of lending or equity investment. Aligning project proposals to those factors will be key, not just to securing finance, but to reducing the overall cost of capital for the project.
This seminar will explore how major projects can be set up and developed to make them more investable. We will consider:
- Does scale matter (too big or too small)?
- What’s more important – the funding model for the asset or the financing model for the project?
- How do investors assess risk for major projects and what can be done to reduce their risk rating and its impact?
- What’s the role of the Government financial guarantees, the National Infrastructure Bank or other Government financial institutions? Help or hindrance?
- Do major projects need to work on delivery reputation to attract new investors?
- How do contractual models affect investor appetite?
- What’s the role of the UK’s local government pension pools in investing in local or regional projects?
- How should project sponsors/developers seek and secure investment?
The seminar will explore such questions through a mix of presentations (e.g. current strategies/trends, market analysis and case studies), discussions/debate and workshops.