The envisaged demand for private-sector investments in infrastructure projects, particularly in the energy and road sectors, suggests considerable potential for adequately structured project finance transactions. Growth in such transactions would also be driven by the inability of many potential project sponsors to implement such capital intensive and highly leveraged projects on their balance sheets, without having their own credit risk profile materially impacted. Project financing usually involves setting up of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), bound by a contractual matrix to various project participants, which raises debt and services it from its own cash flows, without recourse to its sponsors. ICRA's Rating approach emphasises the importance of carefully assessing the risks that characterise such transactions and suitably structuring the projects to mitigate the risks. It may be noted that if a project entity proposes to issue a debt instrument that requires a Credit Rating, ICRA would assign a Credit Rating on its conventional Credit Rating scale. The Project Finance Rating (PFR) service is essentially a project risk assessment exercise (with a separate PFR Rating scale) that may be useful to the project entity and its  lenders/investors. ICRA would also provide a detailed assessment report on the project without assigning a formal PFR if lenders/project entities require only that. The Rating methodology involves an assessment of three broad areas:

Sponsor strength
Project risks
Cash flow adequacy

The Benefits

For lenders, typically financial intermediaries like banks and financial institutions, ICRA's PFRs would:

Facilitate informed decision-making
Provide an independent and reliable second opinion
Assist in risk pricing
Facilitate portfolio risk management
Help meet specific investment objectives

For borrowers, ICRA's PFRs may help to:

Increase the comfort level with prospective/existing lenders and enhance marketability to various lenders
Reduce the time involved in obtaining loan approval