Report 'Financing of Sustainable Marine and Freshwater Infrastructure' Launched
Updated: 13 October 2021
The report Financing of Sustainable Marine and Freshwater Infrastructure: A joint study to explore financing of green coastal, river and port projects, developed by the Central Dredging Association (CEDA), the International Association of Dredging Companies (IADC) and Vital Ports, with contributions from Swiss Re and B Capital Partners was presented at the Sustainable Development Impact Summit, organised by the World Economic Forum. Against the backdrop of climate change, energy transition and loss of biodiversity, together with the fact that there are limited public budgets, means there is a bigger role available for private capital to play in bridging the infrastructure funding gap. The report is based on the findings of the mutual working group, which discusses nine case studies. The main conclusion is that sustainable waterborne infrastructure solutions are available, have been tested and are economically viable. Private capital could help to accelerate the uptake of such solutions. The report is an important first step realising this.
The report was presented to the dredging community at the virtual CEDA Dredging Days 2021 on 29 September where experts, representing various facets of the field, and bringing their own mindset, addressed some of the essential aspects of the study in a lively panel discussion. If you missed it, you can watch it on-demand. For more details click here.
“Marine and Freshwater Infrastructure is the collection of waterborne works at coastlines, estuaries, rivers, canals and in port areas. In general, such works provide flood protection or enable port development, urban development and navigability of waterways. In other cases these works serve to protect or restore nature and recreational areas”, says Arjan Hijdra, Managing Director of Vital Ports, one of the authors and presenter of the report at CEDA Dredging Days 2021.
“Both the Sustainable Marine and Freshwater Infrastructure sector and the Financial sector seek to scale up their green portfolio and it is quite obvious that synergy can be found in cooperation. However, both sectors are mutually unfamiliar with each other’s environment which hinders to capture this synergy right away. We believe that this dedicated report could help further engagement between these two sectors.”
Click the following link to download the report free of charge: www.financing-smafi.org.