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Investment Commitments Remain Stable in Latin America While the Number of New Projects Declines
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2009-12) Izaguirre, Ada Karina; Jett, Alexander Nicholas
Private activity in infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean showed mixed results in 2008, according to just-released data from the Private Participation in Infrastructure Project database. Investment in new projects slowed in the second half of the year with the full onset of the financial crisis. This slowdown led to a decline in the number of projects for the entire year. The region accounted for 26 percent of the year's total investment commitments in developing countries, the second largest share among developing regions. In 2008, 41 infrastructure projects with private participation reached financial or contractual closure in eight low- or middle-income countries in the region. These projects involve investment commitments (hereafter, investment) of US$14.6 billion. Infrastructure projects implemented in previous years had additional commitments of US$25.7 billion, bringing total investment in 2008 to US$40.3 billion. That represented an increase of 2 percent from the level reported in 2007. Investment in existing projects, up 12 percent from the level in 2007, drove the increase.
Private Activity in Transport Down for Second Consecutive Year, But Still Around Peak Levels
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2009-11) Izaguirre, Ada Karina; Jett, Alexander N.
Private activity in transport declined in 2008, with the full onset of the financial crisis driving a slowdown in the second half of the year. Yet while investment commitments to transport projects with private participation were down from the peak levels of the previous two years, they remained strong at the third highest level in 1990-2008. In 2008, 56 transport projects with private participation reached financial or contractual closure in 26 low- and middle-income countries. These involve investment commitments (hereafter, investment) of US$23.1 billion. Transport projects implemented in previous years had additional commitments of US$2.9 billion, bringing total investment in 2008 to US$26 billion. That represents a drop of 10 percent from the level reported in 2007. Lower payments to governments (such as concession or lease fees and divestiture revenues) account for the decline. By contrast, investments in physical assets, which amounted to US$22.6 billion in 2008, were up 3 percent from those reported in 2007. The number of projects continued a marked declining trend. The 56 projects reaching closure in 2008 reflected a 40 percent decline from the level in 2007 and a 53 percent drop from that in 2006. The closure of larger projects explains the divergence in trends between investments and number of projects. The average project size grew from US$150 million in 2004 to US$410 million in 2008, while the median rose from US$57 million to US$230 million.