Video

Financing Hydropower Development in Emerging Power Markets: Lessons of Experience from Brazil Watch Video Connection Speed: High Speed Low Speed    Event Title : Financing Hydropower Development in Emerging Power Markets: Lessons of Experience from Brazil Date : 1/24/2005 Duration : 01:49:30 minutes Language  : English Country/Region : World Keyword :  Water Resources Management     Presenter : Mauricio  Bähr Christian  Biebuyck | Related Material | Recommendations |Related B-SPAN Videos |  DESCRIPTION  On January 24, 2005 Christian Biebuyck, Senior Vice-President, Strategy and Portfolio Management at Tractebel Electricity and Gas Inc., and Mauricio Bähr, Head of Tractebel Energia S.A., the Brazil based subsidiary of Tractebel EGI, presented their experience with hydropower financing in emerging markets to colleagues at the World Bank in Washington, DC. Hydropower production currently accounts for about 19% (2,650 TWh/year) of global electricity supply, and available capacity is concentrated in high-income countries, where over 70% of economically viable hydropower prospects have already been developed. The remaining economically exploitable hydropower potential is 5,400 TWh/year, about 90% of which is located in the developing country clients of the World Bank Group. Stakeholders and clients of the World Bank Group have emphasized the need for increased multilateral financing of water resources infrastructure, including these hydropower prospects. Through its Infrastructure Action Plan, the World Bank Group is formulating a new hydropower agenda to broaden the energy lending portfolio to include hydropower rehabilitation projects, new run-of-river projects, and other types of small hydro projects alongside conventional large hydropower dams. Implementation of the new hydropower agenda will require enhanced pooling of resources from public and private sources. Private power investors have learned a great deal from the 1990s experiences in developing countries. Those that ventured into hydropower development, such as the EU-based Tractebel Electricity and Gas International (Tractebel EGI), remain guardedly interested in renewing their engagement, after having re-assessed the risks involved and developed strategies to enhance critical success factors. Biebuyck and Bähr shared private investors’ insights on a number of relevant issues including: the specificities of arranging financing for hydropower projects; critical success factors for developing hydropower facilities in emerging power markets; and the key challenges to be faced under public-private partnerships. Bähr presented on lessons from Tractebel EGI’s experience in financing large hydropower facilities in Brazil. Following the presentation, a brief discussion period was held. Questions were raised regarding competitiveness in the Brazilian power market, the future of private investment in hydropower, pricing issues in the industry, and commercial risks.  RELATED MATERIALS   Biebuyck and Bähr’s PowerPoint Presentation (pdf document) Related World Bank and Other Links: The World Bank Group: Energy Energy Lecture Series 2005 Related BSPAN Events: Lessons Learned from Hydropower Investment World Bank Water Week 2004 RELATED B-SPAN EVENTS Water Resources Management (33)