(Eurasia Review, Albany, 13 November 2021) Bangladesh initiated its nuclear program in 2013 by signing a treaty with Russia that opened up a new avenue in their bilateral cooperation. At that time, the two countries signed a state export credit agreement to implement a nuclear project in Bangladesh. The work on the Rooppur plant started with the direct financial and technical cooperation of Russia. There are garment factories in Bangladesh which are producing in huge quantities. So, Bangladesh needs electricity. In 2009 the power generation was 3200 MW; now it has exceeded 20,000 MW. Two 1200-MW capacity reactors are being set up at Rooppur. Once the first nuclear power plant in Bangladesh begins production, it will kick-start another developmental revolution in the country.
Russia
Russians Discuss Increased Engagement With Africa
(Eurasia Review, Albany, 10 November 2021) Russia’s weak economic presence in Africa has become a thing of concern for some experts in the country and they wonder why the nation is not aggressive with this like its ally, China. Smaller countries such as Turkey is visibly broadening its economic influence and so are a number of Gulf States. In July 2021, participants at the Association of Economic Cooperation with African States (AECAS), established under the aegis of the Secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum (RAPF), agreed that lack of financial support was the major reason for this. The forum, which had in attendance some leading Russian companies and banks, discussed an effective system of financing projects and supporting investment in Africa. Nikita Gusakov, Head of the Russian Export Credit and Investment Insurance Agency (EXIAR), reiterated that Africa was a priority for the agency, outlining a number of deals that EXIAR has been involved in on the continent.
SACE Could Support Novatek’s Giant Arctic LNG 2 Project
(Offshore Enginer, New York, 22 October 2021)Italy’s biggest banking group Intesa Sanpaolo could help fund Novatek’s Arctic LNG 2 project even as some European governments show lukewarm support for the giant Russian gas project. Antonio Fallico, chairman of group unit Banca Intesa Russia, told Reuters the bank had been invited to look at the financing deal by SACE, the state-owned Italian export credit agency. Novatek said in September they had credit lines open for a third of the total financing from Russian banks, adding Chinese and Japanese banks could provide the rest. The pressure on institutional investors from climate lobby groups to stop funding fossil fuel companies has intensified markedly in recent years. The $21 billion project, which received final investment approval in 2019, is expected to reach full capacity of almost 20 million tonnes of LNG per year in 2026.
Experts Discuss Russia’s Weak Economic Presence in Africa
(Business Post, Lagos, 24 August 2021) Russia’s weak economic presence in Africa has become a thing of concern for some experts in the country and they wonder why the nation is not aggressive with this like its ally, China. In July 2021, participants at the Association of Economic Cooperation with African States (AECAS), established under the aegis of the Secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum (RAPF), agreed that lack of financial support was the major reason for this. Nikita Gusakov, Head of the Russian Export Credit and Investment Insurance Agency (EXIAR), reiterated that Africa was a priority for the agency. Senator Igor Morozov, a member of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy, and Chairman of the Coordinating Committee on Economic Cooperation with Africa noted during one of the meetings that in conditions of pressure from sanctions, it has become necessary to find new markets, new partners and allies for Russia. “It is important for us to expand and improve competitive government support instruments for business. It is obvious that over the thirty years when Russia left Africa, a number of countries such as China, India, the United States and the European Union have significantly increased their investment opportunities there in the region,” Morozov stressed. With a renewed growing interest in Africa, Russians are feverishly looking for establishing effective ways of entry into the huge continent.
Rosatom Preparing Support With French ECA For Foreign Nuclear Power Plants
(UrduPoint News, Moscow, 31st May, 2021) Atomenergoprom JSC, a subsidiary of Russian state corporation Rosatom, consolidating all civil assets of the Russian nuclear industry, is working with the French Economy Ministry on a new mechanism for financial support of its nuclear power plant construction projects abroad with the participation of French export credit agency Bpifrance Assurance Export, according to Atomenergoprom’s 2020 annual report. Work continued with the French Ministry of Economy and Finance on the development of a fundamentally ‘new mechanism’ for financing the company’s projects for the construction of nuclear power plants abroad, and will continue in 2021″ the report says. No further details are provided. In another nuclear power story involving ECAs, Ukrainian nuclear power plant operator Energoatom told ambassadors of the Group of Seven (G7) and the head of the EU mission in Ukraine that it has “made significant progress” with its strategy to diversify its sources of nuclear fuel. Since 2010, they have signed three contracts for the supply of nuclear materials for the production of nuclear fuel by Urenco, which is one of Westinghouse’s nuclear fuel suppliers. Their current contract was signed in July 2019. They are now considering increasing the volume of supplies of nuclear materials under that contract and attracting funding under the UK government’s export support programme, which is being implemented through UK Export Finance, the UK’s export credit agency.
Belarus isolation deepens as air links cut and Swedish ECA credit cancelled
(The Journal, Dublin, 18 May 2021) Belarus was increasingly isolated today as Europe cut air links and calls grew for more action over its diversion of an airliner and arrest of a dissident on board. The Swedish Export Credit Agency (EKN) said today it was withdrawing export guarantee offers for deals involving two state-owned Belarusian companies, citing failure to live up to human rights standards. The guarantee offers, which totalled two billion Swedish kronor (€197 million), concerned the sale of gas turbines from a Swedish subsidiary of Germany’s Siemens and state-owned Belarusian energy companies RUE Minskenergo and RUE Brestenergo.
EU lawmakers urge French, German & Italian ECASs to ditch Arctic LNG 2 support
(Reuters, London, 18 May 2021) A group of mostly Green Party lawmakers from the European Parliament on Wednesday urged the leaders of Germany, France and Italy not to support a Russian Arctic liquefied natural gas (LNG) project due to climate change concerns. The $21 billion project, led by Russian gas producer Novatek and with international backers including French oil major Total TOTF.PA, is expected to launch in 2023 and reach full LNG production capacity of almost 20 million tonnes a year in 2026. “We urge the French, German and Italian governments to refuse to support this project and set a new standard by ending all export finance support to fossil fuels before COP26,” the letter said.
Russian Export Credit Line for Sri Lankan Arms
(Daily News, Colombo, 13 May 2021) The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) in its response to concerns raised by the Opposition on the Government’s move to purchase new helicopters from Russia amidst the COVID pandemic, said the purchase was on a Government-to-Government basis via a Line of Credit offered to Sri Lanka to purchase military hardware from Russia which is still being negotiated over several years. Russia had offered Sri Lanka a US$ 300 million Credit Line, from which 14 Mi-171E and Mi-171Sh helicopters were bought down in 2010 at a cost of US$ 165 million, some of which are currently being used for UN peace keeping operations. He said that there was a balance of US$ 135 million which lapsed in 2015, but it was renewed by Russia to allow Sri Lanka to purchase a Gepard 5.1 Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) for the Sri Lanka Navy. However, since the Navy had found a less costly alternative, Russia had agreed to allow that amount to purchase Mi-17 helicopters.
Russian president signs law to ratify protocol restructuring Belarusian ECA loan
(BELTA, Minsk, 29 April 2021) Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed the law to ratify the protocol restructuring the protocol to amend the Belarusian-Russian intergovernmental agreement on the state export credit to the Belarusian government to build a nuclear power plant. During the ratification, it was noted that some $4.7 billion of the $10 billion loan provided for the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant was used as of 1 March this year. According to Russian government estimates, the cost of the construction will be about $6 billion. The protocol contains the following terms for restructuring Belarusian obligations: extension of the loan use period for 2 years – until the end of 2022; postponement of the grace period on the principal from 1 April 2021 to 1 April 2023; replacement of the current mixed interest rate on the loan with the fixed interest rate of 3.3% per annum.
Africa’s COVID-19 vaccine financing gap opens opportunities for China, Russia
(S&P Global, New York, 4 February 2021) Since Feb. 1, Britain and other high-income countries such as Israel and the United Arab Emirates have continued their vaccination programs apace, while even relatively rich African countries such as South Africa continue to lag. This stark divide in access to vaccines to combat the pandemic underscores structural problems in the developing world, and in Africa in particular, where there are significant barriers to financing the procurement of life-saving inoculations. Shortfalls in both funding and supply are also creating opportunities for China and Russia to export their vaccines to Africa as they seek to strengthen commercial and political relations with the continent. Multilateral development financial institutions such as the World Bank and the African Development Bank will be crucial to bridging the financing gap. National export credit agencies that offer government backed-financing for companies’ international activities will also need a boost. China and Russia see ‘real opportunity’… and “are likely to fill the gaps in Africa by providing vaccines at favorable pricing or as donations, said Pangea-Risk’s Besseling. “They are seeing a real opportunity to extend their commercial, diplomatic, political and geopolitical security relations with the African continent,” he said.
