A short guide to securing project finance

Introduction

For this month’s briefing, we are covering the basics of what project owners should include when starting the journey to engage with capital markets. At Holocene, we specialise in capital advisory solutions supporting project owners getting their initiatives off the ground, whether the requirement is debt or equity. Below, we will break down into three sections what you should have to start the journey: The Vision, The Plan, and The Execution.

The Vision

Executive Summary

A good Executive Summary should be clear, informative, and engaging. Start off with a bird’s eye view of the opportunity showing the relevant information that prospective financial partners would need to see in the beginning of the process.

[1] Global Solar Atlas is a handy resource as a starting point, though you will eventually need an independent third-party.

The Plan

Supporting the Vision is the Plan, the concrete steps on how you will achieve the vision. Two critical parts within the Plan are the Financial Model and Key Agreements.

Financial model

Unlike the Executive Summary, Financial Models are generally more cut and dry. Make sure that everything is separated and clearly defined: cover page, input worksheets, processing worksheets, output worksheet, further analysis and findings/conclusions.

Key agreements

Below is a non-exhaustive list of sample key agreements relevant for energy, infrastructure and real estate projects. Think of them as concerns within the wider ecosystem such as grid connection approval, planning permissions, or key business stakeholders up and down the value chain.

The point of these documents is to show that not only does your opportunity has the merit to stand on its own two feet, but that it does not exist in a vacuum. Rather, it will succeed because of the ecosystem it operates in.

For each agreement sponsor should also include current status – are these fully agreed, is it at LOI stage or just initial discussions?

The Execution

Supporting documents

The tricky thing about supporting documents is that they can include anything. What is important is that the more you have, so long as they are relevant to your industry, the better positioned you are when meeting with potential funding partners.

The purpose of supporting documents is to demonstrate that you have the data and third-party reports validating the project. While not always necessary on Day 0, they help ensure that nothing is missing and avoid costly delays later on. Below is a non-exhaustive sample of supporting documents.

Conclusion

In this piece, we tried to highlight the essential documents and principles to be mindful of when starting your funding journey. However, there is one final point to be aware of. Except for the executive summary, always make sure to be working with trusted partners to support your project along the way. Whether it’s an independent firm auditing the underlying financials, a trusted global engineering firm covering the technical aspects of the project, or a reputable law firm reviewing key agreements, surrounding yourself with the right partners will always benefit in the long term.

If you would like to get in touch with the team to learn more about how Holocene can support your funding journey, email us as [email protected]