(Fitch, Milan, 29 November 2022) Fitch Ratings has affirmed that SACE’s shares were transferred back to the national government from Cassa Depositi e Prestiti SpA (BBB/Stable) in March 2022, changing SACE’s mission from an unregulated export credit insurer to a government agency underwriting insurance policies backed by a state guarantee. The Ministry of Finance [now] retains governance rights over SACE and outlines operational features, according to which SACE operates on behalf of the national government. Fitch expects insurance-related costs to increase in 2023 alongside the macroeconomic volatility triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war and rising commodities prices that could adversely affect Italian export and domestic activities in the short term. SACE’s exposure to Russia, Ukraine and Belarus is limited and was fully covered with EUR91 million provision as of June 2022. As we noted last month, the Italian government is considering support for international fossil fuel projects that would emit 3.5 times Italy’s annual emissions, despite major climate promises. Italy is also considering the nationalization of an oil refinery owned by Russian energy giant Lukoil as well as providing additional guarantees by Italian export credit agency SACE for the purchase of oil outside Russia and selling the refinery to a third-party investor.
Newsletter
Canada to (mostly) stop subsidizing international fossil fuel projects
(Greenpeace, Toronto, 12 December 2022) Canada has joined the growing ranks of nations promising to end international financing of fossil fuels (though there are some worrisome exceptions). The Financial Post immediately warned that without taxpayer subsidies it would be more expensive for private companies to build new fossil fuel projects which… is the whole point of the exercise. The new policy applies across all federal departments, agencies and Crown corporations but will predominantly impact Export Development Canada (EDC), a Crown corporation with a long history of funnelling billions in support to the oil and gas industry. As of January 2023, EDC (and the rest) will have to stop funding (most) fossil fuel projects and redirect those resources to support the clean energy transition.
FLASH: Italy’s SACE considering fossil fuel projects with 3.5 X Italy’s annual emissions
(Oil Change International, Washington, 30 November 2022) Despite pledging to stop international financing for fossil fuel projects by the end of 2022, new analysis shows that the Italian Government is continuing to actively consider financing for major international fossil fuel projects. Taken together, these fossil fuel projects in could emit or enable greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to at least 3.5 times Italy’s annual emissions. In the period 2019-2021, Italy provided USD 2.8 billion a year in public finance for fossil fuels, almost entirely via SACE. Bloomberg notes that SACE has also been among the biggest backers of Russian oil, gas and petrochemical development in the last several years. Not included is another known fossil fuel project being considered by SACE – the Balikpapan refinery in Indonesia. Recommon notes: “While Italy has publicly committed to stop financing fossil fuel projects, it has tried several times to weaken the pledge to stop export credit support for fossil fuel projects. With less than one month to go until the end of 2022, there is still no sign of implementation of the Glasgow Statement.
UAE ECA Etihad extends guarantees worth $4.5bn in first 9 months of 2022
(National News, Abu Dhabi, 14 November 2022) Etihad Credit Insurance, the UAE’s export credit agency, issued 7,936 revolving credit guarantees worth Dh16.6 billion ($4.5bn) in the first nine months of the year to help boost the country’s non-oil foreign trade. ECI-issued credit guarantees from January until September helped facilitate non-oil trade for businesses located in the UAE that have exported to 111 countries, ECI said in a statement on Monday. These state-backed guarantees helped to preserve and create 50,000 jobs by supporting companies, 72% of which were small and medium enterprises, ECI said.
US Exim Bank offers finance for Romanian nuclear plants
(World Nuclear News, London, 9 November 2022) The Export-Import Bank (Exim) – the USA’s official export credit agency – has issued two Letters of Interest for the financing of US-sourced pre-project technical services at the Cernavoda 3 and 4 nuclear power project in Romania. According to Romanian utility Nuclearelectrica, based on the preliminary information submitted, Exim would be able to consider financing up to USD50 million of the US export contract for pre-project engineering services as part of the engineering multiplier programme and up to USD3 billion of the US export contract for engineering and project management services for the completion of the partially-built Cernavoda units 3 and 4.
Berne Union AGM examines access to ECA support in African free trade
(Kigali Today Press, Kigali, 9 November 2022) At the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Berne Union in Rwanda, the African continent looked to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Removing barriers that affect cross-border trade and ensuring access to export credit facilities will be key in driving growth and the realisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Kuwait to draw on $9.2 bln from ECAs on oil projects till 2025
(Zawya, Dubai, 7 November 2022) Kuwait is planning to spend 13.3 billion Kuwaiti dinars ($44 billion) on oil production, exploration and other projects until 2025, a newspaper in the OPEC producer reported on Monday. The investments are part of a 5-year plan approved in 2021 and envisages total spending of 20.2 billion dinars ($66.6 billion) and borrowing 6 billion dinars ($19.8 billion) by the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), which manages the emirate’s hydrocarbon sector, The spending plan takes into account “changes in the global oil and financial markets” the paper said, adding that capital spending accounts for nearly 65 percent of the total expenditure during the plan. Borrowings include nearly 29 percent in bank loans and 21% from export credit agencies in addition to 50 percent through short, medium and long terms bonds, the report noted.
Heads of G7 ECAs meet in Toronto
(UK Government, Toronto, 3 November 2022) The leaders of the official export credit agencies from the G7 nations – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States of America – were hosted by Export Development Canada in Toronto, Canada to discuss a number of pressing geopolitical, economic and sustainability matters impacting exporters and global trade flows. Discussions examined how the G7 ECA Heads are moving their organizations forward on digitalization, climate change, inclusive trade, and how ECAs can serve as strategic accelerators for the growth of small- and medium-sized exporters. The G7 ECA Heads focused on the impacts of the Russia/Ukraine war on global supply chains, energy security, and how ECAs can support their exporters through turbulent times and how they can work together to support Ukraine as it rebuilds. The G7 ECA Heads are unified in their strong desire to heighten their relevance to their nations’ exporters and explored ways to accelerate collective efforts to modernize the OECD Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits. Acknowledging the themes expressed in the recent G7 Political Leaders’ Communique, the ECA Heads recognized the need for bold contributions to climate action and discussed alignment of shared climate policy obligations and ongoing efforts to support companies through the global energy transition. The next annual meeting of the ECA Heads will be held in Italy in 2023.
US Exim lags on climate despite Biden’s pledges
(Global Trade Review, London, 2 November 2022) The US Export-Import Bank (US Exim) has become the latest export finance institution to be labelled as unaligned with the Paris Agreement on combatting climate change, despite overall emissions from the projects it backs falling in recent years. US Exim is trailing many of its peers in other developed nations because of its large exposures to the fossil fuel and aviation sectors, has no target to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions and is not transparent enough on how it is carrying out US government guidance on phasing out support for fossil fuels, according to a report by German think tank Perspectives Climate Group.
Gas is a false route to Australian energy security
(Yahoo News, Sydney, 1 November 2022) Australia is being urged to change course and end taxpayer-funded investment in fossil fuel projects. Ahead of climate talks in Cairo, campaigners are calling for the Albanese government to join a group of countries that last year pledged to end international public financing of coal, oil and gas development. Australia is one of the largest recipients of international public investment in fossil fuels, according to a report by Oil Change International and Friends of the Earth US. Public finance from Australia’s export credit agency was also heavily in favour of fossil fuels, the report found. Australia is also building what could be the world’s dirtiest offshore LNG project, the Barossa project, with the help of overseas public finance from South Korea and Japan
