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Developing and Financing Power Plants in Less Developed Countries

According to the International Energy Agency, about 1.3 billion people in the world still not have access to electricity and nearly all of these live in Africa and Asia. In Africa alone, around $40 billion will need to be invested every year on building and refurbishing the electricity infrastructure and most of this will have to come from private investors. This two day course covers the fundamentals of developing and financing power plants in less developed countries, with a particular focus on those in Sub Saharan Africa and developing Asia.

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Peter WESTON

Peter has 20 years’ experience in the power and renewable energy sector as an investor, lender and strategic advisor. His current interests include power projects in emerging markets and the development of sustainable energy solutions globally. Over the last eight years he has worked on power plants in over 20 countries, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, Senegal and Brazil. He has a particular interest in project financing, commercial negotiation and the development of new business models.

Peter is currently advising several companies on power projects in Sub Saharan Africa and South Asia. He is an independent non-executive director for Triodos Renewables, a community-oriented investor in renewable projects, and chair of its operations committee. He is also a trustee of Renewable World, an NGO which alleviates poverty in developing countries using small-scale renewables.

Peter was global head of finance and investment for two power equipment suppliers: Siemens Wind and MAN. He provided customers such as private developers and state utilities with financing solutions for power projects. These ranged from simple consultancy and introduction of partners to fully structured financial packages with development institutions and export credit agencies.

A former banker, Peter headed the energy lending division of GE Capital in Europe and was an executive director for WestLB's energy group. He led European business development at Aquila Energy Trading and set up an energy market research business in Europe for Osaka Gas.

Education

Peter has a BA in Economics and Politics from the University of Warwick and a postgraduate diploma in journalism. He is a regular speaker at energy conferences, including the sustainable energy financing roundtable at the University of Cambridge. He is a former freelance correspondent for the Financial Times in West Africa and was a journalist and deputy editor for Euromoney Publications. He is also a member of the Institute of Directors.

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Developing and Financing Power Plants in Less Developed Countries

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