Infrastructure Policy Development

📢Exciting News I am pleased to share World Bank Group’s Benchmarking Infrastructure Development website which was just launched, a comprehensive database revealing legal reforms in #PPP governance across regions. Dive into the data & access information on global infrastructure development practices. https://bpp.worldbank.org/ This database provides information on the latest data related to the quality of the legal and regulatory frameworks for preparing, procuring, and managing public-private partnerships (PPPs) and unsolicited proposals (USPs). This latest database update reveals that out of 140 economies assessed, 60 have enacted reforms between June 1, 2019, and June 1, 2022. Those reforms show that economies are improving their scores (range 0–100) as they adopt best practices. While not all regulatory changes impacted the measured benchmarks, the data show score increases in all four thematic areas since the data presented in BID 2020. While not all reforms have had a profound impact on the quality of the legal environment for PPPs, there are notable exceptions.  An important element in establishing a robust PPP framework is the creation of a dedicated PPP unit. The BID website hosts an extraordinary wealth of data that is underpinned by collection efforts in each of the 140 economies covered. Are you curious about regional trends or how different income levels stack up? The revamped BID site's got you covered with aggregate data that is easy to navigate. But that's not all, you can dive deep into the world of good international practices and see how they spread (or not) across the planet. Reader can also get their hands on the full survey for each economy, assess the latest reforms, and spot the practices that are still on the to-do list. Moreover, the user can easily download an economy summary PDF to pinpoint areas ripe for reform. Finally, the full database can be downloaded, and it captures the legal basis for more than 100 questions in the 140 economies. Please note that the forthcoming Benchmarking Infrastructure Development report that is based on this updated database, and which will delve into the reforms in detail and provide valuable insights and analysis on global PPP practices and legal standards, will come out in the next few months.   Those interested in countries of South Asia can access the database and delve deeper.  

The International Energy Agency (IEA) and Climate Club have released a crucial new report, "Policy Toolbox for Industrial Decarbonisation.” This report offers a comprehensive guide for governments to design and implement effective strategies to decarbonize heavy industry. Key Takeaways: The report categorizes policy instruments into three core areas: 1️⃣ Framework Fundamentals: ✔️ Long-Term GHG Emission Reduction Plans and Policies: This includes roadmaps, plans, targets, emissions trading systems (ETSs), carbon taxes, and tradeable performance standards (TPSs). ✔️ Mobilizing Finance and Investment: A variety of instruments are explored, from direct public funding and equity investments. 2️⃣ Targeted Actions for Specific Technologies and Strategies: ✔️ Managing Existing Assets and Near-Term Investment: This involves strategies like requirements for retrofit-ready builds, sunset clauses for high-emitting technologies, measures to reduce excess capacity, TPSs, and carbon product requirements (CPRs).  ✔️ Creating a Market for Near-Zero Emissions Materials: Policy instruments discussed include public procurement of near-zero materials, state-backed intermediaries, incentives for private procurement, collaborative procurements, sustainability certifications, and CfDs.  ✔️ Developing Earlier-Stage Technologies: R&D and demonstration funding, public-private partnerships, innovation programs, and regulatory sandboxes. ✔️ Accelerating Material Efficiency and Circularity: This includes modifying design regulations to incorporate lifecycle emissions and recyclability, incentivizing extended end-use lifetimes, and implementing demolition/landfilling fees. 3️⃣ Necessary Enabling Conditions: ✔️ International Co-operation and a Level Playing Field: This emphasizes co-ordinating carbon pricing, regulations, and subsidies across borders. Carbon border adjustments (CBAs) are explored as a mechanism to address carbon leakage.  ✔️ Infrastructure Planning and Development: Co-ordinated planning and public financing for infrastructure, such as CO2 transport and storage, clean energy grids, and material handling facilities. ✔️ Tracking Progress and Improving Data: Enhanced data collection, reporting, standards, definitions, certifications, and labelling. Challenges: ✴️ High upfront investment costs and long payback periods can deter private investment in decarbonisation technologies. ✴️ Companies might relocate production to regions with less stringent policies, undermining global emissions reduction efforts. ✴️ Resistance from industry, labor, and communities can hinder policy implementation. Opportunities: ✳️ Public support for R&D can drive breakthroughs in near-zero emissions technologies. ✳️ Decarbonization can create new markets, jobs, and economic growth. ✳️ Co-ordinated policy action can accelerate progress and create a level playing field. #IndustrialDecarbonisation #ClimateChange #IEA #ClimateClub #Sustainability #Policy #Decarbonization

Many critical infrastructure projects face delays before construction even begins due to overly complex approval processes. While regulatory oversight, environmental compliance, and financial due diligence are necessary, excessive bureaucracy can stall progress for months or even years, driving up costs and leaving communities waiting for essential services. Common roadblocks include: 🏤 Regulatory & Environmental Approvals: Compliance with environmental impact assessments (EIA), zoning laws, and permits from multiple agencies can slow progress. 💰 Funding & Budget Sign-Offs: Infrastructure projects often involve public-private partnerships (PPPs), government grants, and multi-agency funding, requiring extensive financial due diligence and multi-tiered approvals. 🤝 Public Consultation & Stakeholder Approvals. 👨🔬 Engineering & Design Sign-Offs: Infrastructure designs often undergo repeated reviews across multiple disciplines leading to redundant feedback loops. 🛒 Procurement & Contracting Delays: Lengthy bid evaluation processes, legal contract reviews, and compliance checks can significantly slow down procurement. Delays in infrastructure approvals have far-reaching consequences: 💲Escalating Costs: Rising material and labor costs, inflation, and contract renegotiations can add millions to project budgets. 👥 Economic & Social Impact: Delayed infrastructure projects mean postponed benefits such as improved transportation, better utilities, and economic development. 📉 Lost Funding Opportunities: Public infrastructure projects often rely on time-sensitive government funding, and delays can result in lost grants or budget reallocations. In order to mitigate these impacts, government agencies can implement the following strategies to speed up project initiation: 1. Reassess workflows and cut out unnecessary approvals within the matrix or combine phases including streamlining multi-agency Coordination. 2. Leverage Digital Permitting & Workflow Automation: Implement e-permitting systems, GIS-based environmental assessment tools, and cloud-based document management to reduce manual delays. 3. Adopt Pre-Approved Design & Engineering Standards: Utilize standardized designs for roads, bridges, and utilities to minimize redundant technical reviews. 4. Set Regulatory Approval Timelines: Introduce legally binding service-level agreements (SLAs) to ensure agencies respond within a fixed timeframe. 5. Enable Phased Approvals: Allow projects to proceed in phases (e.g., site preparation before full project approval) to maintain momentum. 6. Enhance Stakeholder Engagement Early: Proactively involve communities, businesses, and regulatory bodies at the planning stage to prevent late-stage objections. 7. Fast-Track Low-Risk Projects: Implement a simplified approval process for routine infrastructure upgrades or projects with minimal environmental impact. How is this affecting you? #Interface #Infrastructure #Projects #Delays #StutoryApprovals

Yesterday the Planning & Infrastructure Bill Committee looked at the provisions for SDS (link in comments below). Lots of discussion around key aspects but it is really good to see that the Minister absolutely understands what strategic planning is and why it is so important. Some choice quotes from him include: "...the planning system is in dire need of reform. A system of strategic plans is central to our efforts to get Britain building again. The duty to co-operate introduced by the Localism Act 2011 was intended to replace strategic planning, but it has failed. .... Our goal is to establish a system of strategic planning that garners support from all sides of the House, and so create a stable and consistent framework for planning the growth that this country so desperately needs. "Spatial development strategies are intended to be long-term strategies that provide greater certainty for investment and development decisions." "The Government firmly believe that housing and infrastructure needs cannot be met without planning for growth on a larger than local scale, and that new mechanisms for cross-boundary strategic planning are essential. A nationally consistent system will underpin the Government’s ambition to deliver 1.5 million new homes during this Parliament, help to deliver better infrastructure, and boost economic growth." "...the clause reintroduces a system of strategic plan making across England. The recent period has been something of an aberration, as throughout most of the past 50 years, England has had a strategic tier of plan-making. We have had structure plans at county level, regional planning guidance from central Government and regional spatial strategies prepared at regional level. The past 14 years, without any formal planning since the abolition of regional spatial strategies, have been anomalous, and this Government’s firmly held view is that that has led to suboptimal outcomes. Over the last 40 years, development levels have consistently failed to meet the country’s needs, resulting in a housing crisis and significant affordability gaps across the country. Additionally, the number of local plans being adopted or updated has continued to decline, with only about 30% of plans adopted in the last five years." "It is only by making the relevant strategic decisions at the right level that we can genuinely plan for the development and future that this country and its people need. We can unblock the local plan system and start to link our infrastructure systems more closely with our planning system." "By pursuing smart planning reforms, we can unlock and accelerate housing and infrastructure delivery while improving the state of nature across the country, delivering a win-win for development and the environment, and building a future where nature and the economy flourish together. " Bravo Mr Pennycook! #StrategicPlanningIsBack