Archived Events

13th July 2010 - Creating an Efficient Financing Market for Infrastructure

With the dust now settling after the election, more detail is emerging about the Coalition Government's plans on infrastructure. While we are in an age of fiscal consolidation, the Government appears to have accepted the case for continued investment in infrastructure, given the imperative to promote economic growth and to meet exacting climate change targets. In their "Strategy for national infrastructure", Infrastructure UK estimates that the demand for infrastructure investment in the UK is expected to be in the range of £40-50 billion per annum until 2030, and possibly beyond - significantly exceeding the recent historical average of approximately £30 billion per annum. Key elements of the Government's plans include:

• The Coalition Government is committed to the creation of a Green Investment Bank that will invest alongside the private sector in the priorities that will be listed in the National Infrastructure Framework.
• A key component in the Government's plans is to widen the range of investors in infrastructure projects; specifically, it wants to attract both institutional and retail investors.
• To attract institutional investors following the collapse of the monolines, the Government is exploring the use of the ‘regulated asset base' approach and other types of regulatory framework that are used for investment elsewhere.
• New green financial products are to be developed to enable individuals to invest in low carbon infrastructure projects.
• It is likely that the high priority sectors identified in the National Infrastructure Framework will be renewable/low carbon energy infrastructure and transport.
• Private sector investment in large-scale renewable and low carbon energy projects - offshore wind, nuclear and carbon capture and storage - will be encouraged through a variety of measures, including establishing a floor price for carbon.
• Based on the success of the M6, private investment will be used to finance an expansion of the road network using tolling.
• The new government is committed to the creation of a national high-speed rail network using private sector investment.
• As part of the government's strategy to devolve power, there will be increased financial autonomy for local government following a review of local government finance.
• As was clear before the election, the Infrastructure Planning Commission is to be axed in favour of a new fast-track process for major infrastructure projects.

This highly topical one-day conference will provide delegates with an early opportunity to learn more about the plans of the new government and what they will mean. We are delighted that Andrew Rose, Head of the Infrastructure Funding Unit at Infrastructure UK, has agreed to give a keynote address about the implications of Infrastructure UK's new strategy for national infrastructure, and that the event has attracted a speaker faculty of such exceptional quality. Attendance will be useful for all those involved in infrastructure, whether from a public or private sector perspective, who want to understand the implications of the new landscape in which they are operating.

The IPFA is delighted to be supporting this conference. Members of IPFA are able to benefit from a 15% discount on the published delegate fee. Please make your booking, quoting reference 'IPFA15', by emailing bookings@cityandfinancial.com or by booking online www.cityandfinancial.com/pfir9ip