Clean Energy Project - Technical Consultant at Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (InfraCredit)

Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (InfraCredit) is a ‘AAA’ rated specialized infrastructure credit guarantee institution backed by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, GuarantCo and InfraCo Africa (Private Infrastructure Development Group companies), KfW Development Bank, Africa Finance Corporation and African Development Bank to provide local currency guarantees and mobilize long term debt financing for infrastructure in Nigeria.

InfraCredit’s guarantees act as a catalyst to attract domestic credit from pension funds, insurance firms and other longterm investors into credit-worthy infrastructure projects, thereby deepening the Nigerian debt capital markets. InfraCredit operates in Nigeria on a commercial basis with private sector governance and mainly supports brownfield operating infrastructure companies. InfraCredit maintains the highest domestic financial strength ratings accorded to any financial institution by Agusto & Co. and Global Credit Ratings Co., the two leading domestic credit rating agencies.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Clean Energy Project - Technical Consultant

Location: Lagos
Employment Type: Full-Time
Report To: Chief Executive Officer’s Office

Background

• InfraCredit’s Clean Energy Funding Programme (the “Programme”) seeks to provide the financial flexibility required in aggregating and funding small-scale energy projects, thereby enabling access to sustainable local currency debt for eligible project sponsors, and supporting the energy transition strategy to achieve cleaner, less expensive, and more reliable sources of energy while creating jobs and supporting local economic development.
• The Programme is supported by stakeholders including PIDG and KFW Development Bank.
• Under the Programme, InfraCredit has developed a growing pipeline consisting of multiple small-sized bankable clean energy projects ranging from NGN550million to NGN15billion seeking access to long- term naira debt financing.
• As part of its clean energy transition strategy, InfraCredit is developing a roadmap that supports a strategic transition to a portfolio of investments that is aligned to the Paris Agreement across targeted areas of opportunity.
• To achieve this, InfraCredit recognises the need to support alternative cleaner energy sources for a limited period, on the course to reach the commitment to net zero emissions by 2050.

Job Responsibilities

• Drafting of Terms of Reference for external advisers.
• Provide technical inputs in the operating assumptions for a robust financial model
• Provide technical inputs in the deal terms being negotiated and agreed with the prospective clients
• Review all available technical reports, storage equipment/ technology, maintenance arrangements, engineering design, materials and equipment lists, BOQs etc, as applicable, and comment on suitability to deliver the Project to specification and conform to industry standards
• Provide technical input in the Infrastructure Risk Matrix
• Review of New Business Committee and Credit Papers and support for responses to technical queries from the Credit Committee
• Provide preliminary technical commercial review for onboarded clean energy projects and highlight any key risks or opportunities for improvements on the projects
• Support in the sourcing of external advisers, evaluating external advisers technical proposals and recommending the best firms to engage
• Review the due diligence reports of the external advisers
• Inspect project sites (one sample site), assets, work in progress, equipment & infrastructure available and comment on asset & equipment quality, adequacy, performance and remaining/estimated useful life of the project assets
• Identify and confirm means of interconnection between plant and off-takers; determine the proximity of grid supply and operating Disco in the area
• Review of the procurement contract(s), EPC contract(s), including civil works contractor and other subcontractors, and opine on ability to meet and conform to required specifications and industry best practices – taking into account operating track record of contractors and any previously completed projects
• Validate contractual agreements with offtakers and capacity for offtakers to enter such contracts, where applicable
• Assess and comment on the competitiveness of the proposed tariffs versus the cost of accessible alternatives, and opine on the ability of the communities to pay the proposed tariffs
• Review and evaluate operating costs, development costs incurred, development cost estimates and/or costs to completion. Provide an opinion, based on Consultant’s experience, on whether these costs are reasonable, optimal or can be refined
• Comment on management’s capacity to operate and deliver the projects to specification for the life of the projects.

Qualifications and Skills
Candidates for the Clean Energy Consultants’ role should meet the following requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or related field
• Minimum of 5 years’ work experience in clean energy sector either as a project developer or an adviser
• An understanding of financial markets, infrastructure projects financing and workings of development finance institution
• Proven analytical skills and systematic problem solving, as well as excellent communication and writing skills
• Strong project management skills, and demonstrated commitment to professional and client service excellence
• Experience with multitasking efficiently and accurately with little oversight
• Acute attention to detail and a dedication to providing high quality work products.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.