NIRAS has come out ahead on a capacity building consultancy contract in the water sector in Sri Lanka, financed by Danida. Claus Jørgensen at NIRAS tells Development Today that NIRAS won against three Danish competitors - COWI, Grontmij-Carl Bro and Rambøll.

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SN Power exits planned Mozambique hydropower joint venture

The Norwegian aid-financed hydropower investment firm SN Power has given up on a planned joint venture project in Mozambique. More than a year of negotiations failed to secure a deal with the Mozambican energy company, EDM. With unsuccessful ventures in Uganda and Mozambique, SN Power’s Africa portfolio is now empty.

The aid-financed risk capital fund Norfund wants to mobilise a joint Swedish-Norwegian financing package to save SN Power’s hydropower rehabilitation joint investment project with EDM in Mozambique.

Jacobsen Elektro fears a World Bank monopoly on funding, following the announcement of the new OECD guidelines for sustainable lending. The guidelines ban guarantees and loans to public counterparts in 59 low income countries.

Eurodad, a network of NGOs from 17 European countries, has lobbied hard for stricter regulations of lending to developing countries. Officials involved in negotiations on the new OECD lending guidelines describe Eurodad as a driving force in the process.

The Danida Annual Report for 2007 reveals a shift in market positioning among Danish consultancy companies working in aid. COWI, which has dominated the Danish aid market for several years, is losing the top spot to competitor NIRAS.