Independent Power Projects in Developing Countries - Legal Investment Protection and Consequences for Development

For developing countries, a stable and secure supply of electricity is crucial for development, and for their populations' well-being. Since the early 1990s, the main mechanism for constructing power generation facilities in developing countries has been the independent power project (IPP) model, where a foreign investor enters into long term investment contracts with the national utility. This model has succeeded in attracting investment, but raises complex regulatory and contractual challenges in addition to public concerns. This book - drawing on project contracts, the author's interview sources, case law and literature - analyzes in detail the legal investment protection used by IPP investors to ensure sufficient returns and protect their contracted revenue stream. The author examines how the model's corporate / financial structure interlocks with strong contractual rights and with a number of measures used to improve the host country's creditworthiness in the short and long term (including investment guarantees).The second part of the book identifies that the IPP model normally leads to six main consequences for the host developing country.