FINAL REPORT: DEFINITIONAL MISSION TO AZERBAIJAN:
AZERCOSMOS – AZERSPACE-2 FEASIBILITY STUDY
August 07, 2013
Space Partnership International
30
debt; the Ministry of Finance has already furnished a sovereign guarantee for the purchase of
Azerspace-1 and is very familiar with its process;
ECA financing can take up to six months from the
time of vendor contract, so equity or government
funds will be required to fund the project until ECA funding is available.
Equity and / or Debt Investment From Azerbaijan
Approximately $35 million to $55 million USD in Equity or Debt from Azerbaijan, depending on
the overall system cost, to cover at least 15% of CAPEX will be required to be furnished either
from the State budget directly as a line item for Azercosmos, or through the Ministry of
Communications and Information Technology or the State Oil Fund. Additional Equity and/or Debt
will be required to cover any OPEX associated with Azerspace-2 not already covered by financing
for Azerspace-1.
The State Oil Fund (SOFAZ) is a special purpose state organization in which Azerbaijan's oil and
gas revenues are accumulated and managed. It was
established by a Presidential decree on 29
December, 1999 to not only manage the oil and gas income efficiently but also invest in the
development of socio-economic projects. SOFAZ has already funded major national projects within
and outside its energy sector such as:
Azerbaijan's equity share in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil
pipeline project;
The building of housing for the socio-economic improvement of refugees and internally displaced
persons who were forced to flee their native lands due to the Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict;
Oguz-Qabala-Baku water supply system;
Reconstruction of the Samur-Absheron irrigation system;
Formation of the statutory capital of the State Investment Company;
Financing Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway;
Financing “The state program on the education of Azerbaijan youth abroad in the years 2007-2015.”
SOFAZ's activities are currently overseen by a Supervisory Board. The Board reviews the Fund’s
reports on the draft annual budget prepared by the SOFAZ’s Executive Director, annual reports,
and financial statements along with independent auditor's opinion and provides its comments.
Members
of the Supervisory Board, including SOFAZ’s Executive Director, are appointed by the
President of Azerbaijan. The Fund's Executive
Director represents the Fund, carries out operational
management of the Fund's activities and ensures the management and investment of the Fund’s
assets are in accordance with the Guidelines approved by the
President of the Republic of
Azerbaijan.
Due to the outspoken Presidential support for Azerspace-2, Azercosmos is well positioned to obtain
financial support from the State Oil Fund in the event the State Budget does not accommodate its
request. It is worth noting that in the case of Azerspace-1, the overall budget did not include a line
item for insurance. The funds to pay the insurance premium of approximately $16 million USD
were nonetheless provided quickly and with minimal bureaucracy.
Background and General Requirements for ECA Financing
Export Credit Agency (ECA) financing is only available for exports from the country where the
goods are supplied.
Co-Financing
FINAL REPORT: DEFINITIONAL MISSION TO AZERBAIJAN:
AZERCOSMOS – AZERSPACE-2 FEASIBILITY STUDY
August 07, 2013
Space Partnership International
31
ECAs frequently co-finance with each other. For example, if the U.S. content is insufficient to
allow U.S. Ex-Im Bank to support the full funding requirements and another country such as
France has significant content, Coface could co-finance with Ex-Im Bank. Generally the ECA with
the largest domestic content will be the lead financing entity. This was the case with Azerspace-1.
Collateral Security Package
ECAs would most likely require a complete collateral security package, which will include a
mortgage on the financed asset (e.g. the satellite), assignment of the lease (if the project is done on
a lease basis for tax or other reasons), assignment of the receivables from customers, a pledge of
the stock in Azercosmos, assignment of the U.S. supply contract(s) and an assignment of any
ancillary contracts like the O&M Agreement, and insurance contracts.
Typically, ECAs will ask for
guarantees from creditworthy related parties if the project sponsor is not considered creditworthy.
The vendors may be asked to give guarantees or subordinated loans in lieu of a related party
guarantee.
It’s important to note that no such collateral security was put in place for the Azerspace-1 satellite
project, as it was substituted by the sovereign guarantee that was provided by the Azeri
Government.
Overall Financing Issues
In Contractor’s interview with the U.S. Ex-Im bank official, Contractor confirmed Ex-Im’s interest
in providing support to U.S. suppliers for this program, provided the borrower can demonstrate:
A credible
business plan
Confirmed orbital slot
Previous debt is paid on time directly from the borrower as opposed to the guarantor
Good
financial statements
Regulatory approvals in place
Projected cash flows (reasonableness)
Market to non-sanctioned countries
Solid customer contracts from good creditworthy companies (if they can be obtained); and
Assignment of insurance proceeds.
Examples of banks with experience participating in ECA financings include: BNP Paribas, CIB,
Citibank, Crédit Agricole, HSBC, ING, JP Morgan, Natixis, and Société Générale.
ECAs will review the organizational structure, management, and mission as part of due diligence
on a program’s overall viability and potential for success. An ECA’s due diligence criteria
typically
includes confirmation of a commercially viable organizational structure and a seasoned
management team with proven track record of success.