FINAL REPORT: DEFINITIONAL MISSION TO AZERBAIJAN:
AZERCOSMOS – AZERSPACE-2 FEASIBILITY STUDY
August 07, 2013
Space Partnership International
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3.5. IMPLEMENTATION FINANCING
The Contractor shall submit a review of the financing options for project implementation, including an
assessment of the overall cost estimate of the project including the LCCA and, for projects involving potential
U.S. equity investment, the project's proposed debt-equity structure to ensure that it corresponds to the
requirements of the prospective lenders (this aspect is critical to USTDA's decision making). The Contractor
shall analyze the proposed financing options and delineate which option represents the best value to the
Project Sponsor and will take into account quality and overall value when implementing the project. As part
of this review, the Contractor is required to contact officials from the potential financing institutions,
including, where appropriate, multilateral lending institutions, the U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im), the
Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), and private/commercial sources, to ensure that the
Project Sponsors have adequately explored their financing options. The Contractor shall provide names and
contact information for contacts at the potential lending institutions and summarize their comments. The
Contractor must determine the most likely source(s) of implementation financing and ensure that the terms of
reference for any proposed activity fulfill the requirements of the most likely source(s), or suggest
appropriate revisions to ensure that they do.
Assessment of overall cost of the project
Based on SPI’s discussions with Azercosmos and U.S. vendors, estimated funding requirements to
implement and operate the second Azerspace Satellite System—including satellite, launch services,
insurance, and ground system, assuming a 40 to 50 transponder satellite with a low- to medium-
level of complexity—is expected to range from $250 million to $365 million USD in Capital
Expenses (CAPEX), broken down as follows:
Ku/Ka-Band Satellite:
$125M to $175M USD
Launch Services:
$65M to $95M USD
Insurance:
$19M to $27M USD
Ground equipment:
$15M to $30M USD
Advisory Services:
$3M to $5M USD
Contingency
$23M to $33M USD
TOTAL
$250M to $365M USD
Azercosmos has a line budget within the Azerbaijan State Budget of $5 million USD per year for
their operational expenses (OPEX). This OPEX is intended to cover an organization that currently
has 97 employees, due to be expanded by 50 individuals in the next couple of years to operate a
variety of satellite programs. Additional funds to operate the system until it becomes cash flow
positive would therefore be necessary, i.e., generating sufficient revenues to cover operating
expenses including debt repayment, in-orbit insurance, and orbital slot / spectrum fees if any. A
detailed financial model should indicate cash flow expectations including payment of debt for
Azerspace-1 that is to begin in the mid-summer of 2013; a sensitivity analysis to determine capital
costs against various levels of the lease capacity will also be stipulated by the Terms of Reference.
FINAL REPORT: DEFINITIONAL MISSION TO AZERBAIJAN:
AZERCOSMOS – AZERSPACE-2 FEASIBILITY STUDY
August 07, 2013
Space Partnership International
29
The model should assume that the CAPEX for satellite system is paid based on industry-standard
construction and implementation milestones over a two to three year period, from the Execution
Date of the Contract to Contract Completion, along with incentive payments after the satellite is
launched.
Aside from additions to personnel for sales, marketing, operations, etc., the bulk of management
and personnel costs, as well as facilities operations, rent, utilities, etc., will already be covered by
the cost of operating Azerspace-1. However, there could be additional material costs in terms of
orbital slot / spectrum fees, outside advisory services, Ka-band equipment, and other
miscellaneous expenses.
Unless Azercosmos is able to negotiate a revenue-sharing or other strategic relationship with an
operator who has an existing orbital slot for the Azerspace 2 satellite, the orbital slot / spectrum
fee could add significantly to Azercosmos’ cost. Orbital slot / spectrum fees can be lump-sum and
treated as part of CAPEX, or paid on a periodic basis over the life of the satellite. Depending on
the perceived market value of the slot and amount of associated spectrum, annual fees can range
from $1 million USD to as high as $5 million USD per year.
In-orbit insurance is based on the value of the satellite, which is generally depreciated on a
straight line basis over the satellite lifetime of approximately 15 years, and
the cost of re-launch as
well. The current premium for in-orbit insurance is approximately 1%, so in this case the annual
cost would be in the range of $2.5 to $3.7 million USD, gradually reducing to zero over 15 years.
Type and Sources of Funding
More than likely, Azerspace-2 will be funded with a combination of equity and low-interest debt,
with the best terms for debt likely to come from one or more Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) tied to
the vendor selection. This is how Azerspace-1 was financed. Specifically, for Azerspace-1,
our
research indicates that the U.S. Export-Import Bank (U.S. Ex-Im) provided a loan of $116.6
million USD with a 10-year repayment period for Azerspace-1. This amount represented 85% of
the satellite construction cost; the remaining 15% is reported to have been provided by Azerbaijan
state funds. The New York-based branch of BNP-Paribas applied for the
financing on behalf of the
borrower, Azercosmos OJS Co., who successfully obtained guarantees from the Azerbaijan
Ministry of Finance. Furthermore, BNP Paribas negotiated with France’s Coface export-credit
agency to back the launch-services contract, valued at $93 million USD.
Azercosmos has indicated with a high level of confidence that the second satellite financing will
mirror its first, with a sovereign guarantee for ECA financing, and that the 15% equity requirement
could come from a variety of sources, including the Government of Azerbaijan (State Budget,
Pension Fund, State Oil Fund), corporate entities (e.g., hosted payloads, satellite operators, and/or
service providers) interested in a strategic investment, and passive investment from public or
private equity funds. In this instance the financing for Azerspace-2 would be most likely structured
as follows:
ECA Financing:
Up to 85% debt with ECA guarantees for CAPEX (spacecraft, launch services, insurance, and
ground segment) (from approximately $200 million to $300 million USD depending on overall
system cost);
A Sovereign guarantee will be issued from the Government of Azerbaijan for the full amount of