Credit Crisis Hurting Clean Energy Sector - Bankers
UK: September 16, 2008
LONDON - The renewable energy sector will see a 21 billion euro (US$29.43
billion) shortfall in debt finance by 2020, following the credit crisis and
a brake on lending, a senior banker said on Monday.
Investors at a renewable energy finance conference in London tried to digest
the implications of a banking hiatus following Lehman Brothers' filing for
bankruptcy and Bank of America's acquisition of Merrill Lynch.
The European Union has set a target of getting one-fifth of its energy from
renewable sources, including wind, sun and biomass, by 2020.
European wind and solar power projects drew 18 billion euros investment in
2007 and needed about 85 billion euros annually by 2020 to meet the EU's
target, said Tanja Cuppen, a renewable investing executive at Rabobank.
However, the pace in growth of the sector, coupled with less appetite for
long-term lending, would contribute to a 21 billion euros debt finance
shortfall, she told conference delegates.
"The credit crunch will have a major impact on the renewable energy sector,"
Cuppen said. "I think we haven't had the worst yet."
The sector, which provides low carbon alternatives to fossil fuels and is
supported by government subsidies, has become more competitive recently due
to high oil, gas and power prices.
However, energy infrastructure projects are hurting because the banks, faced
with the threat of more loan defaults, are limiting lending.
"Debt markets are much tighter than 12 months ago and are set to get
tighter," said Ian Simm, chief executive of Impax Asset Management, which
invests in clean energy, water and waste.
The result has been "the worst liquidity crisis in recent memory", said
Andrew Marsden, managing director for Europe at GE Capital, which has a US$4
billion portfolio of renewable energy assets.
However, Marsden added: "Money is still there for renewables, (especially)
private equity."
GAP
The sector will need to attract new sources of debt -- such as from pension
funds, or re-allocated capital from other areas of bank finance, Rabobank's
Cuppen said.
The offshore wind energy sector was showing "sub-prime" symptoms, said Kevin
McCullough, chief operating officer of RWE's renewable energy business,
comparing current prices of offshore wind projects to the high-risk US real
estate sector before the recent blow-out.
Investors have been paying too much for undeveloped offshore sites that only
have planning permission, failing to take into account the soaring cost of
wind turbines and cables, he said.
"I think that very many of the projects being developed now will be hugely
out of the money," said McCullough.
Britain is preparing a strategy to meet the EU renewables target. One
scenario targets 15,000 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind by 2020 compared to
600 MW currently installed, said Simon Virley, head of renewable energy at
Britain's Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
Such government drives are a double-edged sword, both underpinning growth in
the renewable energy sector and raising costs by creating a rush to fill
that new demand.
However, falling oil prices may signal a broader turn in the commodity
pricing cycle, which could ease such costs, said Michael Liebreich, chief
executive of research firm New Energy Finance. (Reporting by Gerard Wynn,
Editing by Karen Foster)
Story by Gerard Wynn
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
|