Infra Dig – John Flint, the UKIB interview

12/20/22 • 21 min

The UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) was born from Brexit – the great British answer to the loss of the European Investment Bank (EIB) which had made it abundantly clear that departure from the EU came at a cost.

In the latest fireside chat style Infra Dig podcast, Angus Leslie Melville – editorial director of IJGlobal – talks to UKIB chief executive John Flint about the role the bank is currently playing and the one it plans to play in years to come.

Drawing parallels to the EIB, the Treasury Infrastructure Finance Unit (TIFU) that was launched in the wastelands of the Global Financial Crisis, and the Green Infrastructure Bank – which was flogged off to Macquarie – John speaks openly about UKIB plans.

While not asking the questions most bankers want asked – mostly because they were rude – John speaks candidly about staffing up and how UKIB plans to “crowd in” lending capabilities in a challenging market.

Previous Episode

Infra Dig Masterclass – PPAs with Natasha Luther-Jones

In the second of the Infra Dig masterclass series, the focus turns to payment mechanisms for renewable energy projects and drills down into just what underpins the vast majority of projects.

Angus Leslie Melville – editorial director of IJGlobal – speaks to a lawyer who is particularly renowned in the world of renewables and, especially, is famed for the role she has played in the PPA space.

Natasha Luther-Jones – DLA Piper international head of sustainability and ESG and global co-chair of the energy and natural resources practice – joins Infra Dig fresh from picking up 2 IJGlobal ESG awards to run listeners through the mechanisms in as jargon-free a manner as possible.

Starting off with Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) and running through to Contracts for Difference (CfDs) and then on to a slew of other contracts, this podcast answers all the questions you were too scared to ask about how energy companies are paid.

Next Episode

Infra Dig – African digital infra

The IJGlobal podcast – Infra Dig – makes a late start to 2023 with its first episode, this one focused on the digital infrastructure opportunity in Africa.

Damilola Agbaje, investment director at African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM), speaks to IJGlobal editorial director Angus Leslie Melville to talk through the potential for investment across the continent.

In a far-ranging discussion, Damilola takes the listener through the investment potential across telecoms towers as Africa leapfrogs fixed line, through to fibre optic networks and data centres.